


Dancing Under the Fairy Lights

by GalaxyKitty



Category: Janti - Fandom, Video Blogging RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Anti is perceptive, Bubble Bath, Comfort, Crying, Cuddling & Snuggling, Cute, Dear diary my feelings spilled all over this story do you think anyone will notice?, Ducks, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Fairy Lights, Fluff, Fluff and Smut, Happy Ending, Hugs, Insecurity, Jack has nightmares, Love, M/M, Nightmares, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Sexual Content, Sleepy Cuddles, Slow Build, Soulmate-Identifying Marks, a tag so simple yet so true, but then reassurances, i need more hug tags, i promise this story gets so sweet, implied/referenced suicide attempt but I'm very careful with it, it's the shared mark kind- if one person gets hurt the other will see, thank the rain, the most adorable kiss on the nose, there are so many hugs, they are soft boys, yes ducks
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-01
Updated: 2020-01-19
Packaged: 2021-02-25 23:40:31
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 42,929
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21633799
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GalaxyKitty/pseuds/GalaxyKitty
Summary: The story of someone looking for loveAnd someone who didn't think he couldA Soulmate AU
Relationships: Anti/Jack, Janti, Sean Mcloughlin/Antisepticeye
Comments: 33
Kudos: 87





	1. Chapter 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aaah! It's finally time! I have notes on my phone dating back to May for this story and I've been excited for it! I will say I tried something a little different with how I wrote this story, but I think it'll be nice.

Jack took a sip of his coffee as he looked down at his laptop’s screen waiting for him to type. He hummed quietly as he adjusted the scarf around his neck, not wanting to think at the moment, and lifted his head to look around the café. There were the normal two baristas working behind the counter, a small line of costumers waiting for them, a few standing by the side waiting for their drinks to get made, and the others who were sitting at the tables like Jack. Nothing out of the ordinary.

The brunet saw a few regulars as well, recognizing their faces from seeing them time and time again, and Jack guessed others would recognize him too. The café was a nice place to get some work done; the atmosphere was calm with the walls painted a light brown complimenting the dark wood tables, air always smelling like warm coffee, and most people were never too loud. It was a relaxing place to the brunet and he found his usual spot was never taken when he returned each early morning. It became his normal routine after a while, returning to the café to work for a few hours or at least until he got too tired to stay.

The baristas didn’t mind him being there each day, in fact, one of them had talked to him for a bit on a slow day, joking about how the coffee here must be good if he keeps coming back.

He turned back to his laptop, not having anything else to do, and sighed to himself as he finally started typing. He was able to get a job that allowed him to work from home, or café in this case, and he was grateful for it, but that also meant he _had_ to get everything done before the deadlines if he didn’t want any trouble. That would be the one strict rule he had. He usually didn’t have much of a problem with it, preferring to get things done as soon as he could rather than waiting, and he put in an earbud to play music while he worked. Occasionally he would lift his head up to look at the door as a small bell ringed when it was opened before turning back to his screen. A routine he followed day after day.

He only realized how fast the day had gone when he noticed more people visiting for lunch, the café getting a line in the middle of the room again, and he was getting a little stiff from sitting in the same position without moving. The bell rang again, Jack lifting his head up once more to see who it was, and noticed a new face. It was a woman, blonde hair in a loose bun as she was looking down at her phone, and she wore a simple beige dress. She looked up for a moment, eyes scanning the menu above in the front of the café, and Jack noticed a small necklace around her neck, but nothing more.

He held back a small frown, hand reaching up to touch his scarf, and he shook his head slightly to himself as he looked back to his screen. He saw the text cursor blinking at him, waiting for the next words, but he decided he’s been here enough for the day. He quietly packed away his laptop into the small satchel at his side and stood up to leave. His plastic coffee cup had long been empty and he dropped it into the trash bin on his way out without looking.

The sky was grey, clouds blocking out the sun, and the brunet put in his other earbud as he started walking home. It seemed like the streets were quiet these past days, car rolling by occasionally, but nothing much happened. The brunet would pass by other little stores lined up against the sidewalk, windows clear and trying to entice people to walk inside. He would eye whatever products there were, finding it was something to entertain himself with on his walks home, then passed by a knickknack store. It was a small brand store that sold decorations and items of the sort, cute things someone could buy for their home, and the brunet paused when he saw decorations for couples. Bears holding hand in hand, two pieces of a heart that could be fitted together, two small statuettes leaning back to back. The brunet pursed his lips, looking away before he thought about them too much, and continued walking forward. He doesn’t need to think about it. Those would make other people happy and he doesn’t need to think about it.

He eventually made it past the main roads, stores falling back into the distance, and his apartment building came into view up ahead. He crossed the street, shuffling through his satchel to get his keys out, and walked up the concrete stairs to the second story. He stepped around the potted plant sitting by his front door, a single purple flower starting to bloom out of the shrubbery by his knee, and he made a mental note to water it later. Keys jingled together as he unlocked his door, finally stepping inside and letting out a tired puff of air as he shrugged off his satchel and plopped it down onto the couch against the wall to the left. He slipped off his shoes and passed by the area of his dining room and kitchen on his right, going down a hall that led to a bathroom and two bedrooms. One of the bedrooms was his, the other he used more as a combined storage room and office. He had a calendar up on the wall in there, red and black pen marking important due dates and schedules, while a small wooden desk had papers and notes in somewhat of an order.

The brunet walked over to the bathroom, not liking to use the one at the café, and saw the reflection of himself in the mirror. He was still wearing his old blue jacket, color fading out, with a plain grey t-shirt and dark jeans, but his eyes went to the scarf he had wrapped around his neck. The light grey fabric was soft and a few people had complimented it before as well. He didn’t really wear it for looks, though. He carefully unwrapped it to take it off and set it down gently on the bathroom counter, eyes looking back at the reflection then to see what was underneath. Across his neck was a white line, a scar, that wasn’t hard to notice. He didn’t like looking at it, yet he knew it well, eyes instinctively glancing at it whenever he stood in front of a mirror without his scarf.

He closed his eyes, silently telling himself to stop thinking so hard, and turned away to do what he needed to in the bathroom. He left the scarf on the counter when he was finished, walking out then to head over to the kitchen to make something to eat. He warmed up some leftovers and walked over to the couch, setting his paper plate down so he could take out his laptop from the bag next to him to charge it. He turned on the television afterwards and leaned back against the couch with his plate, taking small bites as he watched a recording.

Everything felt slow. Still and dull. He didn’t turn on any of the lights, only natural light sneaking through half closed blinds filled the room, and it slowly got dimmer as the day went by. The television screen flicked from scene to scene, volume quiet, and Jack could tell the energy of the room was low. He was happy that he had gotten something done at the café, not feeling up to working anymore for the day, and he leaned over to lay his head on the armrest. He stayed there until he was hungry enough for dinner, throwing away his old plate before making something else. He ate at the table this time, still listening to the soft voices of the television, and occasionally tapped his fork against the ceramic plate he got out. He managed to get a chuckle from the show that was on, smiling a bit, and he felt a little better as he walked his now empty plate to the sink to wash it off.

He stayed up for the rest of the recording he had put on for dinner, closing the blinds afterwards as he stretched and shuffled over to his bedroom in the dark. He had taken off his jacket in the living room and took off his jeans and shirt to stand in just his boxers. He glanced over in the direction of his dresser, seeing the outline of it in the darkness as his eyes adjusted, but he decided to leave it be as he walked over to his bed and unceremoniously flopped down onto the mattress. He turned over to his stomach, getting the blanket out from under him, and pressed the side of his face against the pillow. His thoughts were already going slowly, not much going on as he closed his eyes and drifted off to sleep.

…

Jack woke up with a gasp, hand going up and almost slapping his neck as he felt a drop of sweat slide down his forehead. He sat up, body feeling tense, and he realized he had another nightmare. That was just a nightmare, right?

The thought that it wasn’t grew heavy in his mind and he had to see, had to make sure. He quickly got out of bed, stumbling over to the bathroom as he flicked on the light and squinted at the mirror. He blinked a few times, eyes getting a bit watery from the sudden brightness, then tilted his head up to look at his neck.

The scar was there, same as before, and nothing else.

The brunet sighed softly, closing his eyes as he rested his head back down, and swatted at the wall until he eventually found the switch to turn the light back off. He stood in place for a moment, peeking an eye open only to see where he was as he walked back to bed, and sat down against the headboard with a pillow. Nothing else happened, it was just a nightmare. Nothing else happened.

He grimaced as old memories resurfaced in his mind, difficult nights flashing behind closed eyelids, and he groaned quietly. He reached a hand up as fingers instinctively brushed against his neck, tracing the scar without needing to see. He remembered the night when it appeared, waking up in tears without knowing what was happening as it felt like something was scratching his neck, and the rush of fear following once he finally realized what it meant.

Jack didn’t like thinking about it, didn’t like how his eyes would tear up or his chest would feel tight when his mind imagined the worst. It wasn’t him who made the mark. It was his soulmate.

Jack shook his head, mind returning to the present, and he took slow breaths to calm himself down. It’s been a while since he had a nightmare about it, but he just had to tell himself it’ll be okay. One day he’ll figure things out.

He moved to lie down completely, head resting on the pillow, and starting thinking about what he should do when the sun rose for tomorrow. It makes him feel a little more in control by having things planned out and went through a mental list of what he should get done. The deadline for his next project wasn’t until the end of the month and he had gotten a lot done; he’d edit a few pages tomorrow which would be light and make sure it aligns with what another person working with him was doing. An easy day, nothing to worry about, then maybe he could visit a store rather than window-shopping, remembering a clothing store he passed with nice looking jackets in the window. Maybe he could look at getting a new scarf too.

Jack had closed his eyes and his mind eventually managed to doze off. Thankfully he didn’t have any dreams and when he woke up he wasn’t feeling too out of it. He turned in bed, looking over at the digital clock on his nightstand and hummed at the time. It was a little later than when he usually got up, normally on his way to the café by now, but he just sighed at the thought. He’s been doing this for a long while now; it was easy to feel discouraged.

He slowly got out of bed and went over to his dresser, picking some jeans and a button up shirt before heading over to the bathroom to take a shower. He set the clothes down on the counter, eyeing the scarf that was still there from yesterday, then started the water and waited for it to warm up.

His mind wandered during the shower, standing under the spray and just letting the warm water run down his back for a while. When his thoughts returned to the nightmare again, he sighed. Jack didn’t know how long ago that was, how many months it had been since that night when the scar first appeared. He remembered he didn’t leave his apartment for a while, not knowing what to do, and he spent a long time staring at the scar. He had searched through his apartment for his old scarf, finding the grey one, and wouldn’t go out into public without it since then.

Jack finished cleaning up and got out of the shower, dressing in the clothes on the counter and wrapped the scarf around himself without looking. His laptop was still sitting on the coffee table in the living room and he unplugged it to set it back in his satchel. He grabbed his shoes from the front door and slipped them on, then ran a hand through his hair as a few droplets fell to the floor. The sun and outside air would dry it before he got to the café, so he didn’t bother with it much as he stood up and slung his satchel over his shoulder. He did glance at the kitchen, thinking about getting something for breakfast, but decided he could order something from the café. He remembered to get a small cup of water, stepping outside his door as he watered the potted plant outside, then stuck his hand in the apartment to set the empty cup on the side table by the door before closing and locking it.

His walk over to the café was uneventful as usual and he looked over at his reflection in the windows of the building as he quickly ran a hand through his hair once more as it was dry now to fix it up. The bell chimed for him as he opened the door, seeing only one person ahead of him in line, and quietly waited for his turn. The raven-haired barista greeted him by name, knowing his order, and the brunet made sure to add a muffin this time. When he picked up his order, he walked it over to his thankfully-still-empty seat and sat down with his bag in his lap. He pulled out his laptop, but when he opened the screen and lifted his head, he caught sight of someone sitting in the back corner of the café. He narrowed his eyes a bit, not used to people sitting there, and realized it was a new person he didn’t recognize. The stranger was reading a book, back almost against the wall as the chair was scooted back, and he was wearing black clothing, making it hard to see his form. Jack looked to his neck out of habit, but it seemed like the man was wearing a turtleneck that covered it. He looked up to see the man’s face but saw green eyes looking back at him, gaze unmoving, and Jack instinctively darted his eyes away and looked back at his laptop. The man just caught him staring.

Jack just stared down at his laptop screen for a bit, not doing anything with it, and he thought about the turtleneck. He couldn’t see if there was a scar, so maybe… no. The brunet shook his head, frowning at himself as he finally brought his hands up to start typing and get work done. It was a silly thought, getting his hopes up for no reason.

Occasionally his eyes would sneak up, wondering what book the stranger was reading, but he would tell himself to get back to work and look back down. He followed the schedule he made in his mind last night, writing down notes and checking his emails to see what the others were doing, and he was getting a lot of progress down. He started leaning forward in his seat a bit, mouse clicking from tab to tab, and he was focused on the screen. He didn’t realize how zoned in he was until he heard the familiar jingle of the bell, getting startled as his eyes darted up, but he didn’t see anyone enter. He looked to the corner where the stranger was sitting, but the chair was now empty. He frowned lightly, but realized as he quickly turned his head to look out the window, seeing the back of a black turtleneck disappearing from sight.

The man had left.

Jack felt a hint of disappointment in his stomach as he let out a small sigh, looking back down at the table in front of him, but he huffed to himself for thinking too much into it. The man had left; that was the end of that.

He watched the laptop screen for a while, knowing he wouldn’t be able to get back into the working mood he had earlier, but today wasn’t supposed to be a heavy workday anyway. The brunet let out a long breath, leaning back in the seat as he glanced at the documents on screen and eyed the messages on a small chat box in the corner where he was talking with the others who were working with him on the current project. He then made up his mind and closed his laptop, moving it back into his satchel as he grabbed his empty cup and stood up. He needed to take a break; take some time to relax and loose some stress. He’s been following the same daily routine for a long time, so it’d be good for him to do something different.

He waved to the baristas as he walked out the door, hearing the bell signal his exit as he did so. He paused after the door shut behind him, head facing right to look down the path, but he turned the other way. His hands moved to rest in his jacket’s pockets as he began his wander down the sidewalk, looking at the store windows along the way. He wasn’t familiar with the buildings over here, his walks home were always in the other direction, but he found it nice to see something new. He did glance at a different clothing store on his way, remembering how he thought about getting something new for himself, but he passed it up as he continued his stroll through the town until the stores slowly trickled out. He could see houses in the distance, tall trees and green front yards coloring them, and he made a movement to turn around, believing it time to go back home. He then heard a bark, sounding a bit faded, then another followed by someone cheering. He hummed, curiosity making him want to see what it was, and his eyes followed where the sidewalk turned to lead to a park on his left. He could see someone standing at the front, Frisbee in hand, and a brown dog was jumping by their feet as they waited for the disc to be thrown again.

Jack watched as the person threw the disc before the dog yipped and chased after it, but he quickly lost sight of it as the park seemed to slope downwards, the person disappearing as they ran down as well. Jack blinked, curiosity growing more, and he walked over to see just what was under the park’s grassy horizon. He reached the front, standing where the dog owner once was, and his eyes widened as he looked down at the wide open area of the park below. There was a large playground to the left, kids running and jumping around while parents sat underneath a shaded pavilion next to it, then there was a clear space in the middle where a group was kicking a soccer ball, small orange cones marking where the goal was. There were trees surrounding the park in a circle, a few dotting corners or spots by the sidewalk that looped around the center, and the branches were wide with green leaves shining under the sunlight. He saw a few benches here and there as well, some under the shade of the trees, and he smiled.

This looked like a lovely place, and as Jack closed his eyes, he could feel the gentle breeze brush against his skin as the soft rays of sunlight warmed him. He felt calm here.

He started walking down the grassy slope as he made his way into the park, turning his head to get a better look at everything around him. He stayed on the sidewalk, keeping his distance from the others running around as to not get in the way, and he watched as the sidewalk changed from whites to greys as he walked in and out of shadows from the trees around. He noticed that the trees started to become more frequent as he got closer to the right side of the park, though, and found that there were less people on this side. He guessed people would prefer the more open areas to play their games, but Jack was finding the quieter area of the park nicer to him. He found a bench and quietly sat down under one of the arching trees, looking over at the other side of the park where everyone else was still playing. He then turned the other way, looking instead at a small pond towards the corner. There were sections of tall grass and cattails circling the water, acting like a small fence around the pond, and Jack could see a lily pad here and there floating on the water’s surface. He mouth opened to form a small smile, though, when he saw a group of ducks swim across the center. He let out an audible awe as he watched the animals swim quickly, their little tails shaking as they paddled their feet. He saw one of them peck the water and he soon realized that there were small berries floating on the surface. The ducks rushed to get as many of them as they could before they were gone, then paused as they looked to the side and quacked. Jack looked to where they had turned to and saw there was someone sitting by the edge. It was a bit hard to see who it was, the bench Jack was sitting on wasn’t too close to the pond, but he tried to focus as he saw a dark outfit and green hair.

Wait…

The stranger looked up, and though it still wasn’t close, Jack could recognize who it was. The man in the turtleneck from the café.

Jack quickly turned his head away, feeling his face heat up from embarrassment of being caught staring _again_ , and he made a face to himself. What did the man think of that? Did he recognize Jack too?

The brunet stood up at that thought, stuffing his hands back into his jacket pockets, and quickly turned to leave. He stared ahead, not daring to look back to see if the other was watching or not, and he cut across the grass as he got closer to his exit. It wasn’t until he finally made it back to the lineup of stores to slow down, shoulders relaxing after he let out a breath he was holding in. He glanced back, not seeing anyone behind him, though that’s what he was expecting, and looked down at his feet as he started to head back home.

He wasn’t expecting to see the other man there; he was sure that he had gone the other way as well. Jack had left the café later than him, though, so he must have turned sometime before the brunet had gone.

Well, today was an interesting day at least, and Jack was happy that he found the park there. He knew there was a park in town, certainly, but he’s never actually gone there before. He’s been going to the café for so long… maybe going to the park will be different.

Jack lifted his head when he passed by the familiar logo of the café, finding that he had returned there, and he was already starting to feel tired. Okay, maybe he should take his car next time he wanted to go to the park instead.

By the time he made it back to his apartment and fell back onto the couch, he could already feel his legs appreciating the break. He slipped off his satchel, rolling his shoulder a bit, and he took out his laptop to put it back on the charger. He laid down on the couch after that, one arm resting over his stomach while the other covered his eyes. His thoughts kept returning to the stranger, mind still thinking there was a _chance_ , and the idea lingered. Jack chuckled softly to himself, the sound tapering off sadly, thinking he should know better by now.

The man was gone, for real this time. That was the end of that.

…

Jack adjusted the satchel strap over his shoulder as he spotted the café. He was wearing one of his nice sweaters this morning, a light brown one, with jeans, while his scarf was circled around his neck. He pushed the door open with one hand as the bell rang and he took in the warm scent of coffee in the air. He stepped up to the front counter and was surprised when his usual cup was pulled out from the side and placed in front of him. The barista chuckled at his surprised expression and leaned on an arm against the counter.

“You’ve been here in the morning how many times now?” The raven-haired man said lightly with a subtle smirk. “I think it was safe for me to assume you’d be here again, enough that I went ahead and made your drink.”

Jack took his drink in hand and rolled his eyes in a teasing manner, though he gave the barista a smile back and paid with the exact amount of cash he had ready in his hand.

“Mind if I sit with you for a bit?” The barista continued and the brunet perked up at that, smiling once more and nodding his head.

This was the same man that would talk to him before, often just musing about his day or what strange things he’s heard about, but Jack liked the company. The man told him he’d take a second to clean up a bit then he’d come over, so Jack walked back to his normal table first as he took out his laptop and sat down. He lifted the screen up, hearing the soft beep as it started to wake up, then sat back as his eyes looked up at the café only to freeze in place. Across the room in the back corner were green eyes staring right at him. Jack blinked, disbelieving at first, but no, the man was there. His thoughts hurriedly tried to figure out if he should look away, a part of him happy that he wasn’t the one caught staring this time, another part still shocked, then his vision was cut off.

Jack leaned back in his spot when the barista sat down across from him, an elbow hanging over the back of the chair while a hand brushed raven-hair from his forehead.

“It’s the start of the day and I already want to go home.” Nate huffed, swinging one leg over the other as he made himself comfortable. “I’m sure you’ve felt like that before.”

Jack hummed, but he took a moment to lean to the side a bit, glancing over Nate’s shoulder. The green-haired man was staring down at his book, though, no longer looking over at the brunet. Jack turned back to the barista then, shrugging his shoulders as he responded.

“Yeah, sometimes I just want to close my laptop and pretend I don’t have work piling up.”

The barista let out a soft laugh, looking over at his black apron with the café logo hanging up behind the counter. He was still wearing his dark blue button up shirt that went with it, sleeves rolled up to his elbows, though he was missing the little bowtie that was supposed to be on the collar. Jack had to agree that the accessory usually did look quite silly, though.

“At least you don’t have to go in to work; you can be wherever you want. That must be nice.” The barista continued and the brunet shrugged once more.

“Still busy for hours, though. Work is work, wherever you are.”

Nate made a low hum and leaned over to move his elbow to the table, resting his cheek on his hand as his angled himself towards the rest of the café.

“But of all the places you could be, a café?”

“Coffee.” Jack said simply, and the other man huffed.

“Yeah, that’s what you always say.”

The two of them continued to talk for a while, Nate switching between events that happened at the café when Jack wasn’t there to stuff his friends did, and the brunet found himself smiling. His laptop was moved to the side, still open and sometimes the brunet would look over to it when he thought about what he needed to do, but he mostly sat back and listened to the stories the other man told.

Eventually the other barista that was working called out to them, telling Nate to get back to work while giving him a look with an eyebrow raised.

“Hey, there isn’t even anyone waiting in line.” The raven-haired man protested playfully.

“Because I’ve been serving them.” The other said back, raising his other eyebrow, and Nate finally stood up.

“And you’ve been doing such a great job, I didn’t want to ruin your flow.”

“Because I need a flow to make a cup of coffee.” The other said sarcastically, rolling his eyes.

Jack watched as the two of them bickered back and forth, thinking they seemed like good friends by the way they spoke to one another, and chuckled lightly at them.

“Don’t make me ask him to leave so he won’t distract you.” The other barista said, gesturing over to Jack.

“What? No.” Nate replied as he stood behind the counter, hands behind himself as he tied the back of his apron on, then looked over at the brunet. “Please don’t leave and make me only have this guy to talk to.”

The other barista pouted and Jack couldn’t help the laughter that escaped at that, lifting a hand up to try to cover the sound as he turned his head away on instinct. As he did so, however, he noticed the man in the corner perk his head up, eyes returning to look at him. There was something different this time, the man’s gaze was… lighter, like there was curiosity.

Jack looked away, ignoring the slight flutter he felt in his chest, and pulled his laptop back over in front of himself. The next time he spared a glance up, the man had returned to his book, and the brunet looked down at his hands that had stilled on the keyboard.

He had always gone to the café early, wanting to make sure his table wasn’t taken before he arrived, but that man was here before him. He pulled up a document on the screen as he continued to wonder about the stranger, wondering why he thought about him as much as he did too. He kept sneaking looks up at the other, trying to see a little more of who he was. He could see a silver earring in the man’s left ear, though not close enough to see any detail, and his hair seemed to be a bit on the longer side compared to Jack’s. He was wearing another dark turtleneck too. The brunet wanted to know what book the man was reading, but there was a black cover on it that hid the title. It only made the brunet wonder more about him.

But that was all he did. By the time the lunch crowd arrived at the café, Jack could feel his own hunger growing. He usually left around now, not wanting it to be too late before he returned home, and he could make his own meals there. He looked over at the stranger who wasn’t paying attention to the crowd, intently reading his book, but… what was Jack supposed to do anyway. The man was a stranger, he didn’t even know his name, yet the brunet was reluctant to leave, fearing this may be the last time he saw the other.

He’s really been thinking too much into this.

Jack closed his laptop, a subtle sad feeling washing over him as he reminded himself once more that this was all just him being too hopeful, the stranger is just another person, and he stood up. He put away his laptop, grabbing his empty cup as he threw it away, and he didn’t look the other way as he pushed the door open and left.

…

Jack was rubbing his temple as he approached the café the next morning. He didn’t get the greatest sleep last night, too many thoughts getting in the way, and someone he was working with on the current project really didn’t know how to do their job. Needless to say, the brunet wasn’t in his usual good mood this morning as he opened the door to the café with a low hum. His eyes were half closed, not as alert as he usually was, and he went straight to his table as he flopped down in the chair. He set his laptop up, grumbling when he thought about dealing with his coworkers, and he slumped back in his spot. But from what he’s heard, after this project should give him plenty of time to relax and take it easy; he just needs to make it through to the end of the month. He closed his eyes, hoping the familiar atmosphere would calm his down.

“Jack.”

The brunet opened his eyes, turning his head to the front counter to see Nate holding up his coffee. He got up with a sigh, hearing his feet shuffle across the floor as he made his way over, and took his coffee in hand as he looked up at the raven-haired man slowly, exaggerating a sluggish movement.

“You’re looking as bright as ever this morning.” Nate said jokingly, taking one of the coins the brunet paid with as he flipped it in his hand.

Jack blinked slowly, expression plain.

“Thanks.”

He turned around, eyeing the scribbled handwriting on the side of the cup that spelled out his name, but when he brought the cup down to walk back to his table, he saw it again. Green eyes in the corner of the room. They were brighter like before, that same curiosity in them, and the brunet glanced down at his name on the cup again.

“Care to spill the beans?”

Jack turned back to Nate, returning to the conversation they started, then gave the barista an odd look.

“Did you just try to make a coffee joke?” The brunet asked.

“Hey, I have to find some way to keep myself entertained here.” The raven-haired man smiled with a shrug and a laugh.

Jack rolled his eyes and sat down in his spot, resisting the urge to look over to the corner.

“It’s just life. Work. My coworkers are idiots.” The brunet huffed.

“Hey! Mine is too!”

There was a distant “I heard that” from the background and that got a chuckle out of the brunet. He reluctantly had to return to his laptop, though, knowing it would be better to get this day over with rather than putting it off to the side. Nate would mention something now and again, trying to keep the mood light, and Jack was grateful as he gave the man a small smile. The barista brought over a cake pop after a while; the dessert was lopsided and it was likely that no one would buy it, and Jack joked about the man giving him defective stuff but took it with gratitude.

By the time the lunch crowd came, Jack was more relaxed as he typed at his computer with one hand, the cake pop stick held between his lips. He had gotten a few things reorganized, hoping everything would fall in place over the next few days, but it seemed he had figured out what had happened with his coworkers and got the schedule back on track. He idly moved the cake pop stick to the other side of his mouth as he thought about his own food, wanting to treat himself to something nice today, even if it would probably end up being a to-go order from a restaurant a few buildings down. He wouldn’t have to cook himself and honestly he was ready to take a nap once he got home.

He stood up to take his leave, laptop packed up and empty cup in hand to be thrown away as he reached the trash bin by the exit. The door chimed for him when he opened it, and though he didn’t turn to look, he managed to catch the movement of the stranger lifting his head up before he left.

…

The next morning, Jack slowed when he saw the café. Three days… the stranger was there three days in a row. Was he there again today? Looking down at his phone, Jack saw that he had arrived at his usual time, but it was still early in the morning regardless. What time did the other man get there?

The windows on the outside were tinted, making it harder to see what was going on inside, and the brunet walked up to the front door. He heard the bell overhead and he looked to the corner as he stepped inside.

The man was there, eyes looking up at him as he entered the room.

Jack only kept his gaze for a moment before turning away, continuing to the front counter where Nate had placed his drink already made, but he smiled softly to himself. The man was there again.

When the brunet sat down at his table, the other man had already returned to reading his book. But he was there.

Jack was the first to leave again, only staying for a few hours, but he would return the next day to see the man sitting in the corner once more. The brunet would look over at him when he opened the door, their eyes meeting as he walked by, then they would return to what they were doing before, the green-haired man reading his book and the brunet grabbing his coffee to start the morning.

It then became something they did. The man would always be there when Jack entered the café each morning and they would glance at one another. They didn’t say anything, didn’t wave or nod, they just met each other’s gaze for a few seconds to see that the other was there.

As the days went by, Jack had grown more and more curious about the stranger. What was his reasoning for returning to the café each morning? What type of book was his reading? What coffee did he order?

What was his name?

Jack had tried to get a clear look at the other man’s cup where his name would be written, but it was never turned in his direction. He always already had it by the time the brunet entered the store as well, so he never had a chance to hear his name get called out either. Jack had thought about asking Nate, thinking he would remember his name since he was turning into a regular, but knowing the barista, he would probably do something embarrassing if he found out the brunet was interested in the green-haired man. He didn’t know how to bring it up just yet.

There was a sense of comfort knowing that the other man was there each morning, though. It gave the brunet time to think, to wonder about him without worrying he may never see the other again. That maybe the other man was wondering about him too.

When the end of the month came around, Jack received an email from his boss confirming that his project for the month was complete and that everything was good. He received his new assignment the next morning and he smiled with a relieved sigh when he found that he wouldn’t need to work nearly as much as he was before. He felt light on his feet as he walked around his apartment preparing to leave to the café. He could take the day off, in fact, there would probably be a few days where he could stay home and relax, but he had a new reason to go to the café now.

He paused in front of his closet when he went to pick out a shirt. He had a few new outfits he actually got on his way home a few days ago, though he hasn’t worn any yet. He bought two new sweaters, liking the loose comfy fit, and pulled out the light grey one. He turned and saw himself in the little mirror on his dresser afterwards, taking a moment to view the new outfit, and he glanced up at his messy hair that was ruffled from the sweater. He stepped up to his dresser and grabbed one of the hairbands on it, running a hand through his hair as he tied a small bun. A few strands fell out, one falling in front of his face that he tucked behind his ear, but he stepped back and smiled at his reflection.

He quickly walked out to the living room when he was ready, grabbing his satchel and laptop, and stepped out the front door into the morning’s light. He looked down at the plant by his door, reaching a hand to touch one of the petals of the purple flower, then he started his small journey to the café with light steps and a soft smile.

It started to get darker as the brunet was walking through town and he looked up at the sky with a quiet hum. It was getting cloudy, sky turning grey, and there was a small breeze starting to pick up. Jack tucked his hands in his sleeves and crossed his arms, grateful that he was wearing a warmer outfit. It hadn’t changed by the time he made it to the café, but he quickly forgot about it as he opened the door to the warm atmosphere of the room. He saw the green-haired man in the corner, their eyes meeting for a second, but Jack noticed something new this time, something grey with a string wrapped around it on the table. He didn’t have enough time to see what it was as he turned his gaze and stepped up to the counter where Nate was waiting with his coffee. He greeted the other man, taking the cup, then glanced up at the menu above their heads before he smirked lightly.

“I think today’s the day for a parfait.”

Nate smiled back at that, stepping to the side to grab a glass container for it, and asked what the special occasion was. The brunet walked over to his table to set his bag down and leaned against the edge as he explained how last month’s project went and how he could finally relax now. The raven-haired man nodded as he listened and put the parfait together, then chuckled as he told the other he can finally give his laptop a break, as if that was the thing needing it. He eventually walked over to the other’s table as he placed the glass cup down with a little spoon, making a circular gesture with his hand to announce it, and Jack huffed but sat down.

There were fewer customers than usual today, not that Jack minded, and Nate would chat with him when there wasn’t anyone in line. The brunet was chuckling at one of the barista’s stories when he heard a soft tap, then another, and finally he turned his head to look out the window. It was hard to see, but there were a few darkened spots on the sidewalk when the brunet peered over along with some drops rolling down the window. Jack frowned, murmuring that he hadn’t expected it to rain, and the barista raised an eyebrow at him.

“Didn’t you see the forecast this morning? Said there’d be a good chance of heavy rain.”

Jack shook his head, frowning more, and he finally realized that was why the sky had seemed so dark and there weren’t very many people out. He wasn’t too keen on the idea of walking home in the rain, though he would if he had too, but he was more worried about his laptop getting wet. He had his satchel, but it didn’t tightly close and could very easily get soaked in the rain. He guessed he might as well just stay at the café until it stopped and did manage to smile a bit when he thought about how a café was one of the better places to be stuck at for a while. It came with food and the internet; not too bad indeed.

The rain soon picked up, the gentle tapping turning to a constant drumming against the glass, and the outside only seemed to get duller. The usual lunch rush barely showed up, only a small few appearing with umbrellas dripping across the floor as they walked in. Nate kept his easy smile, joking about a slippery floor sign as he was cleaning up the water afterwards, but Jack didn’t respond as his concern only grew. He would’ve usually left by now, but the weather showed no sign of letting up. He glanced at his laptop, the screen black after having gone to sleep long beforehand, and he closed it.

He started checking his phone, refreshing the weather page every few minutes in hopes that something would’ve changed since the last time he checked, but the rain didn’t show any signs of getting any lighter. Others had left, leaving the café almost completely empty, and that only caused Jack to become more anxious. Nate would probably get off work soon as well, knowing he didn’t work all day, and he would most likely want to leave afterwards too.

The brunet looked around the room, eyes wandering in search of anything that might be able to solve his problem, but the only idea that came to mind was to run holding one of the chairs over his head, which of course was as ridiculous as it sounded. He got up with his arms crossed, a worried expression on his face as he stepped up to the counter.

“You don’t happen to have an extra umbrella lying around… do you?” Jack asked, looking to the side.

Nate shrugged, saying he didn’t think there was but the brunet could check the lost and found box they had in the back. Jack quietly nodded, not having his hopes too high but wanted to check anyway, and the barista gestured to the doorway leading to the other room. He walked back with quiet steps, finding shelves of supplies and boxes in the room along with some of the employee’s belongings lying on a table, then there was a plastic crate in the corner with clothes piled up. He sat down by the crate, pursing his lips as he shuffled the clothes around to see what was there. It was mostly filled with jackets and sweaters people had taken off and forgotten, then there were some other articles of clothing, and strangely a single shoe. He sighed when it didn’t look like there was anything helpful there and sat in silence for a bit as he stared blankly at the clothes.

He had to get home eventually, though, and it seemed putting it off was just making him worry longer about it, so he pushed himself onto his feet with a huff as he made his way back to the main room of the café. He first saw Nate who gave him a curious look, but he shook his head sadly while showing empty hands. The brunet then looked out at the rest of the café and noticed the green-haired man wasn’t there anymore.

So he had left too…

Jack felt his head lower a bit, thoughts telling him he had to just accept that his laptop might get wet, and he walked back to his table sadly. He thought about holding his satchel to his chest while leaning over it to try to block the rain that way, but he knew it would get uncomfortable quickly and the wind would blow the rain around him anyway. He tried to lighten up, hoping that maybe the rain would fade out once he started walking or maybe it just looked worse than it actually was, but it wasn’t much help. When he reached his table, he reached out to grab his laptop to put it away, but his hand stilled in the air when he saw something else lying next to it. It was grey with a string tied around it and the brunet knit his eyebrows together. It was what he saw on the green-haired man’s table this morning.

Jack moved his laptop, setting it in his satchel on the chair, then carefully picked up the grey item, finding a plastic handle on the bottom, and he finally realized it was an umbrella. The man left his umbrella on Jack’s table. He felt his eye widen, head immediately lifting up and looking out the window as if he would find the other there, but there was only the rain hitting the window to see. He looked back down at the umbrella, feeling something he couldn’t name, and he smiled softly.

He finished packing his stuff away in his bag, double checking to make sure he got everything, and Nate looked over at him once he saw the brunet preparing to leave. He caught sight of the umbrella and smiled as he said there must be someone watching over brunet, and though it was a joke, Jack felt a warm feeling at the thought. He waved to the barista, wishing him luck against the rain as well, then he turned to the door and stepped outside. He was greeted with the rush of cold air, shivering a bit at the sudden change, and he stood under the overhang as he untied the small string bow and opened the umbrella. He stepped out to the sidewalk, pausing as the rain thudded against the umbrella above him, and glanced up. He smiled as a warm puff of air escaped his lips and he finally started making his way back home.

A few drops would land on him from time to time and the cold air would find its way to brush against him, but he found he didn’t mind as his smile stayed the whole way home. His shoes left damp footprints as he walked up the stairs to his apartment, but the umbrella protected him from everything else as his clothes stayed dry. He set his stuff down on the couch once he got inside, his shoes left at the door, and he held the closed umbrella in front of himself. He had his own, eyes glancing to the stand by the door where his was lying, so he could return this one. He was sure the man would want it back, but when he thought about it, he realized that the other must have gone home in the rain without it. But what about his book he was reading? Surely he didn’t want to get that to get ruined by the rain.

He set the other umbrella on the side table by the door, wanting to make sure he wouldn’t forget it tomorrow so he could return it. He would finally talk to the other man.

He felt himself suddenly worry about it, mind immediately thinking he would end up saying something wrong, but he should still return the umbrella and thank him properly; it was the least he could do. Besides, it’s not like they’re total strangers; Jack felt like he knew the man… yet at the same time didn’t know anything about him.

That night Jack found himself with a mixture of thoughts, worried still, but he was hopeful too, knowing he had wanted to talk with the man before and now he had a chance. And if he had given Jack his umbrella, then that meant he had thought about the brunet as well.

The rain continued to thud against the building during the night, but Jack found himself in a peaceful sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And the end of the first chapter! I'd love to hear what you guys think so far, but I gotta admit I'm still writing the ending. This chapter was a little over 9k words and the second is a little over 10k, so I think that should give me some time to finish. This story will either be 3 or 4 chapters depending on how long the ending is; I know exactly what I want to do, I just need time to write it. I just really wanted to post something for the story and I liked updating on Sundays on my other story and this Sunday is the 1st, it's nice. Second chapter will be up on Dec. 8th!


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aah this is later than I usually update but it's still Sunday! For me at least.

The brunet was standing at the bottom of the stairs to his apartment as he looked up at the sky above; his scarf snug around his neck. Although there were still clouds, it seemed yesterday was the worst of it as the air was clearer now. He made sure to check the forecast this time, seeing there was a chance that it might drizzle lightly, but nothing like yesterday. Even so, he had his own umbrella packed in his satchel as he carried the green-haired man’s in his hand, the string retied around it once more.

Jack caught himself tapping his fingers against the umbrella in his hand as he got closer to the café. He could soon see the front door ahead and he mumbled to himself about the walk seeming to go by quicker than usual this morning. He shook his head, wanting to clear his mind from everything else he had been thinking too much about, and as he stepped up to the front of the café, he took a steady breath and pushed the door open.

He saw Nate first, the raven-haired man’s back turned to him as he was cleaning some of the equipment on the back counter, and he stood still for a moment before finally turning his head to look to the corner. The green-haired man was there, but he wasn’t looking back, eyes instead trained down at his book. Jack blinked, glancing down at the umbrella in his hand, but he already made up his mind. He walked over to the corner, pausing once he reached the table, though the man didn’t look up. The brunet carefully placed the umbrella down on the table, near the man’s arm.

“This is yours, right?” Jack said quietly and the man finally lifted his gaze to look at him.

There was silence.

“I… I really appreciated it.” The brunet continued, keeping his eyes on the other, though he still didn’t say anything. “But that must’ve meant you had to walk home without it yesterday. So… there has to be some way I can return the favor.”

The man continued to look at him in silence, neither of them moving, and when Jack finally started to worry that maybe he should go, the man closed his book and tilted his head as hair fell over his right eye. He pushed his chair back, pulling his book to his chest, and stood up before turning to the brunet once more. They shared one more silent gaze, Jack finding the other’s eye looking brighter up close, and he could finally see that the earring the man had was a small silver flower, then the man grabbed his umbrella.

“You buy the berries this time.”

Jack felt himself frown lightly, not understanding what that meant, but the man turned and walked past him without saying anything else. The brunet made an audible sound of confusion and turned as he watched the man walked out the door, not looking back, leaving Jack to stand by himself with a lost expression.

What just happened?

Jack slowly walked over to the front counter to get his drink, expression unchanging as he replayed what happened in his mind, and Nate was leaning with one elbow on the counter as he slid the drink over.

“What’d ya say to him?” The barista asked, quirking an eyebrow up, though he had his usual loose smile.

“So you saw.” Jack huffed, then shook his head. “I don’t know what happened, honestly. But… do you happen to know who he is?”

“Can’t say I do.” The other shrugged. “I don’t even know his name.”

Jack gave him an odd look, lifting his coffee cup up to his face as he gestured to his own name written on the side with his other hand.

“He’d always say ‘Anti’ for the name on the cup.” Nate responded, leaning back. “And it’s not unusual for people to give us creative names here. I’ve served a lot of Gandalfs and Harry Potters; honestly I should feel pretty honored to have served so many great wizards.”

Jack hummed sadly, though Nate shrugged once more and suggested it might be something like a nickname of sorts. The brunet paid for the drink, leaving his money on the counter before quietly walking back to his usual table. He sat down at first, instinctively reaching over to take his laptop out of his bag, but he paused as he thought about it. He didn’t really need to work on anything, nothing that needed his attention like last month, and he could certainly use the break. But as he looked up, the table in the corner where the other man usually sat was empty. Jack looked down at his coffee cup, eyes reading the label he’s seen time and time again, and sighed. It felt like he didn’t have any reason to stay at the café today.

He stayed long enough to finish his coffee there, listening to Nate’s usual stories as the raven-haired man talked about the rain last night, but after that, the brunet stood up with his satchel around his shoulder to leave. Nate commented about him leaving early, but waved goodbye with a smile as the brunet stepped out the door to go home.

Jack was lost in thought during the walk back, finding himself looking down at the sidewalk as he tried to understand what the other man, Anti he supposes, had meant. He had returned home only to lay on the couch and wonder about it more as the television played in the background. He could buy the berries this time? But when were berries ever involved before? He thought it might not be literal, maybe it was his way of saying Jack could pay for lunch at the café, but Anti had left right after saying that.

He really didn’t understand the other.

He had hoped that maybe something would’ve happened, that maybe he would’ve been able to sit with the other, maybe they would’ve gotten the chance to talk. But to have the man say that one line and leave… well, Jack didn’t know what to do.

His attention finally switched to the television, wanting to distract himself from his thoughts, and he laid his head down on his arm. He watched as the pair of detectives on screen drove around the city following clues, a small notepad in hand as they asked around and wrote down notes. They had bits and pieces of information, one of them complaining about how they didn’t seem to connect to one another and it was pointless, but the other detective convinced them that they should take a break for a moment. The two of them ended up sitting on a bench in a park, one eating lunch they brought while the other glared, and Jack let out a soft chuckle at the screen. He had gone to the park when he was looking to relax too. He thought back to it, only having been there once, though he knew it’d be nice to visit again, then he remembered seeing Anti sitting by the pond while ducks were swimming around. He huffed at the memory, how he had accidentally ended up staring at the other again, but he thought it was nice to see him there too, watching as the ducks pecked at the berries floating in the pond. Maybe he’d visit again this week since he had time to do so. 

He hummed lightly, thinking it would be nice to do something else there without his laptop. He had his own collection of books, he could reread some of his favorites, or maybe the ducks would be there again and he could-

Jack’s eyes widened and he almost fell off the couch as he hastily moved to sit up, feeling dumb for not realizing sooner. It was the _ducks_. He quickly grabbed his satchel, taking his laptop out before swinging the bag over his shoulder as he stumbled over to the front door to put on his shoes again. The television was still playing and he grabbed the remote to turn it off before tossing it back on the couch cushion, then he scanned the room for a second to make sure he wasn’t forgetting anything before he turned back to the door. He grabbed his keys from the stand and flung the door open, not wanting to waste any more time as he locked it behind him and shuffled down the stairs. He found his car parked under the apartment’s carport and threw his bag in the passenger’s side before getting in himself and starting it up. He kept checking the little digital clock at each red light, frowning more as each minute passed on his way to the store. He already lost enough time; soon enough it would be getting dark.

He parked in the first spot he saw at the store and faintly remembered to lock the doors before walking to the entrance with hurried steps, thankful that the aisle he needed to get to was in the front. The doors slid open for him and he rushed forward until he stopped at the row of fruits in front of him. What… what do ducks like to eat? He tried to remember what he saw at the park, but he was too far away to tell what was in the water. He scanned the shelves, finding a small container of mixed berries, and decided on that one. They were small; ducks probably wanted something like that, right?

He bought them and headed back to his car, hoping this is what he was supposed to be doing. He made it to the park before too much longer and looked up at the sky, trying to make himself feel a little better since there was still light out. He held the plastic container of berries to his chest and looked to the grassy hill hiding the park, then let out a sigh as he started walking over.

There were a few people sitting together towards the left by the playground, but Jack’s attention turned to the pond hiding on the other side. He couldn’t really see at first, walking over hesitantly, but as he got closer he could see a figure sitting by the pond. There was dark clothing, nothing too definable, but Jack could see the unmistakable green hair and he couldn’t help but smile. The other man was facing away from the brunet and Jack wondered if he should call out to the other, but he instead quietly walked up and sat down next to the other, setting the container down between the two of them.

And it was quiet.

The other man was sitting with one knee up, an arm resting on it as he stared out at the pond ahead, still as the wind ruffled his hair lightly. Jack looked at him for a moment, then turned himself as he watched the pond. The cattails swayed back and forth, leaves would float across the pond as ripples changed the reflections of the clouds overhead, and then there was a quack. He looked down, seeing one of the ducks swim up to the shore in front of him, followed by another until it seemed they were all curious of the brunet’s arrival and wanted to see. There was a faint snapping sound as the plastic container was opened and Jack looked down to see the other man take a small handful of the berries, wait, then toss them out to the pond. The ducks twirled around, water splashing as they tried to get to the berries first, then more berries were thrown out after the ones in the pond were gone. Jack chuckled at the scene, taking one of the berries to throw farther out than the others, and smiled as one of the ducks found it and swam over while the others didn’t know. They got through about half of the container before they closed the lid, watching as the ducks swam back out to the middle of the pond. They stilled in the water, floating quietly on the surface, and the ripples calmed as well. Jack turned to see the other, and although it was slight, there was a small smile on his lips as he looked out at the water.

The brunet would look over from time to time, but other than that, the two of them were quiet. It wasn’t long before the sun began to set, the land getting darker, and the ducks had fallen asleep in the pond. It was quiet for another moment, almost as if everything had come to a stop, then the first cricket made a sound. A small light caught Jack’s attention and he turned his head to see a firefly drifting slowly over the pond, the little light mirrored on the pond’s surface. Then there was another cricket, soon accompanied by another, and the same happened with the fireflies. There weren’t a lot, only enough to capture in a jar or two, but the brunet stared in awe at the scene. He had never seen them before, never having been out this late at night where he could, and he wanted to remember this. The fireflies drifting through the air slowly, almost as if they were dozing off themselves, and the brunet found it relaxing as the crickets hummed quietly. He looked over at the other man once more, catching a soft light reflecting in his eyes as he continued looking out over the pond.

Jack smiled as he looked at the silver reflection of the moon in the water. It was a beautiful night.

He didn’t know how long he stayed sitting on the grass there, but eventually the other man made a movement to stand up. He stood still for a moment, arms crossed as he continued looking forward, but he then looked down at Jack and made a small nod before turning to start walking away. It took a second for Jack to realize the other man was leaving and he quickly turned his head as he lifted a hand slightly.

“Wait- Anti.” He called out and the other man stopped and turned to him once more.

Although it was hard to see in the dark, Jack could tell the other’s eyes widened slightly, that same almost curious look in them. His name, Jack realized. Anti was standing there, waiting for Jack to say something, and the brunet looked back to the container of berries by his side. He picked it up and turned back to the green-haired man.

“What about these?”

Anti’s eyes flicked down to the container, quiet, then looked back to the brunet.

“They’ll be hungry again tomorrow.”

Jack watched as the other man then turned and continued walking away, looking down then at the container in his lap, and he smiled softly. He gave the pond one more glance, standing up himself, then turned to leave as well, smile not leaving his lips until he went to bed.

…

Jack had the container of berries sitting on the table the next morning. He had woken up early, a bounce in his step as he went through his morning routine, then found the container in the fridge after breakfast. He couldn’t help the soft smile that graced his lips once again at the thought, remembering last night. Anti wanted him to visit the park again; he was pretty sure that’s what the other man had meant. He didn’t know when, though, and wondered if he should bring the container with him to the café. He ended up stuffing it into his satchel sideways, making sure the plastic wouldn’t accidentally open and spill before leaving the apartment.

He had his scarf wrapped around him a little nicer today, looking up an image to see how others usually wear it rather than just tossing it around his neck, and he wore another one of his better sweaters. He had brushed his hair twice, once when he woke up and once more before he left, and though he hoped it’d stay in place by the time he got to the café, at the same time he didn’t want it to be too obvious. Besides, when he thought about the other man, the only thing he’d seen him wear were black turtlenecks and jeans. Jack had wondered more than once how many turtlenecks the guy owned because it had to at least be seven. He chuckled at the thought, then remembered his own growing collection of sweaters, but defended himself by reasoning that it was getting colder and sweaters are warm and comfortable and there’s nothing wrong with that.

As he passed by the café windows, he tried to subtly check his reflection, resisting the urge to run his hand through his hair. He opened the door, hearing the bell above him, but as he turned his head to the corner, he noticed something different. Anti was there, reading his book as usual, but there were two of the café’s plastic coffee cups sitting at the table this time. He guessed the other man just wanted to get something else today and looked back to the front counter to see Nate waiting with a smile that grew wider once the brunet noticed him. The barista picked up an empty cup, tapping the side with his other hand, then pointed towards the green-haired man. Jack paused, looking back at the other in the corner, and Nate smiled more with his eyebrows raised when the brunet turned back to him.

Jack took curious steps over towards the other, eyeing the other cup that was sitting across from Anti. He tilted his head, and sure enough, he saw his name written on the side. He held back a smile, glancing over at Nate once more to see the barista watching him with that same bright expression, then carefully sat down at the table. Anti didn’t look up at him, eyes focused on the book in his hands, but that didn’t change Jack’s warm thoughts as he took a sip from his drink. He pulled out his laptop and set it towards the left some so it didn’t take up too much room on the table. As he was logging in, he heard the familiar sound of a page turning and glanced over at the book. It looked a little different, though there was still a black covering hiding what it was. It probably wasn’t the same book the green-haired man was reading the first day he saw him, most likely long since finished that if the time he spent reading at the café meant anything.

He went back to his laptop, checking emails and keeping up to date with the next project. Yes, this month should be easy for him, but he still had to make sure he knew what was going on and help when he was needed. It was still pretty early for anything to be happening yet, but there were still outlines and ideas being thrown around that he was reading up on.

The two of them were quiet as they sat at the table, occasionally hearing the typing of a keyboard, the flip of a page, a sip of a drink, but it was nice all the same. It was nice just to have someone… there.

Jack didn’t realize how much time had passed until he heard Nate call out to the other barista that he was going to take his break. He saw the time in the corner of the laptop screen and was surprised to see it was almost noon. It was getting close to the time he usually left.

Nate had stepped out from behind the counter, a store muffin in hand as he was walking over to the tables. The other barista told him that he’d better have paid for that and the raven-haired man replied with “of course” drawled out as he rolled his head to the side jokingly. He sat down at Jack’s usual table, scrolling through his phone as he took a bite of the pastry.

“You’re in my spot.”

Nate perked his head up in surprise as the brunet said that. Jack was so used to sitting there, leaving his apartment early to make sure he could get there before someone else did, and his mind had momentarily worried him to see the chair taken before he remembered where he was now.

“You’re not even sitting here.” The barista shot back after realizing who it was, eyeing the brunet with a chuckle.

“It’s still my spot.” Jack said, half smirking as he looked back at the other.

“Oh, I don’t see your name on it.” The barista then leaned over in the chair as if he were looking under it. “Nope.”

The other barista was listening and huffed, saying there was probably a dent in the chair from Jack always sitting there, and that got the raven-haired man to start laughing. He stood up to look at the chair, jokingly talking about a butt print, and the brunet frowned at him. Jack’s first thought was to throw something at him, scanning the table for a second without finding anything he could use, then he remembered his satchel and pulled it up to his lap to take out the half-filled container of berries. He pulled out a blueberry, holding it in his palm, then flicked it at the barista who was still chuckling, getting him to stop. Nate’s eyebrows came together in confusion, looking down at the floor where the blueberry had landed after hitting his shoulder, then turned to the brunet to see the container on the table. He made a motion with his hand, gesturing towards him in confusion, though Jack just shrugged innocently in response.

Nate picked up the blueberry from the floor, muttering that the brunet was lucky he knew him, to which Jack chuckled and said he only threw it _because_ Nate knew him. The barista just rolled his eyes, throwing away the weaponized fruit as he returned to scrolling through his phone. Jack still had a small smile as he closed the lid on the container, keeping it on the table, then his eyes looked up for a moment to see the green-haired man. He hadn’t moved, still appearing to be reading, but Jack saw his expression had lightened, corner of his lips quirked up slightly.

When the lunch crowd started walking in, Nate had returned to the front counter to get back to work. Someone else did eventually sit at Jack’s old table, unaware that it was anything special, but the brunet looked back to his own table with a small hum. This one was better.

Jack kept glancing at the time, though, knowing he’d usually leave around now. He peeked over at Anti, the other still quietly reading, then back to his laptop at the list of uneventful emails. He didn’t have anything else to do today, clicking through tabs idly, and he finally sat back in the chair. He closed his laptop with an audible click, moving it over in front of him as he stretched his arms out a bit. He then glanced up to see Anti looking back at him, book still open but resting down on the table. Jack continued to put his laptop away as he brought his satchel back to his lap and noticed the other man starting to shift around as well. He saw Anti pull out a bookmark, setting it between the pages before closing the cover. Jack took that as a sign that the other was prepared to leave as well and stood up with his satchel over his shoulder. He watched as Anti did the same, holding the book to his side with one hand while the other brushed through the side of his hair, strands falling from behind his ear over in front of his right eye. He glanced over at the brunet, waiting for him to move, and Jack picked up the container of berries still resting on the table before he started heading towards the door. He could hear footsteps following him from behind, only turning back to wave to Nate as the two of them left the café, but once they made it to the sidewalk, they walked quietly side by side.

They didn’t say anything during their short travel to the park, but neither of them seemed to mind the silence. Once they made it to the pond, they sat down in the same place they had been yesterday as the ducks already started to gather around closer. Jack opened the container with a chuckle, taking a handful of the small fruits and tossed them over towards the shallow shore of the water. He tried to keep an eye on them all, tossing out another handful towards a group that was left out. Anti then picked up a blueberry, holding it flat in his palm, and looked over at the brunet with an eyebrow raised before flicking it into the pond. Jack blinked at him, taking a moment for it to click in his mind, then his eyes widened and he let out a laugh.

“Hey, it was the first thing that came to mind.” He defended himself with. “I wasn’t going to throw my laptop.”

Anti gave him a knowing look, eyebrow raising a little higher, and the brunet sighed with another softer laugh at the end.

“I take it you two are close?” Anti asked as he grabbed a few more of the berries to toss again.

The brunet hummed at the question, taking a moment to think.

“Now that I think about it, I don’t think I’ve ever seen him outside of the café before.” He started, seeing Anti turned back to him with a slightly wondering look. “I’ve heard him talk about the places he’s been to all the time, joked about how his girlfriend likes to drag him around town, but otherwise I’ve only seen him working.” He noticed Anti’s expression change at that, that lighter curious look returning once more, though it was subtle, and the brunet continued. “But I’d say we’re friends. I’m usually there every day so we ended up talking a lot.”

Anti nodded quietly, then turned back to the pond, watching the ducks search around for more food. Jack leaned back on his hands, letting the faint sunlight warm his skin as he closed his eyes. There wasn’t much wind today, though he could feel his hair ghost over his forehead once in a while. He took steady breaths, letting the atmosphere relax him as he listened to the quiet sounds from the pond. He felt like he had been like that for a few minutes, his mind wandering, then he heard the familiar turning of a page. He peeked an eye open, seeing Anti a little further in front of him from this position, and noticed the book open in his hands.

His curiosity about what the green-haired man was reading hadn’t gone away, and from where he was sitting, the book was open facing him. He moved slowly, trying to sit up without making too much noise, and looked over the other man’s shoulder. The words were still small, but he could make out the page closest to him and started looking over the first few lines. He recognized a name, reading further, and recognized another character as his eyes widened with a smile he couldn’t hold back.

“I know that story.” He said aloud, startling the other slightly as he closed the book and looked back at him. “I have the series at home.”

Anti was staring at him, unmoving at first, then he slowly relaxed his shoulders as he gave the brunet an interested look. Jack had read that book a while ago, knowing exactly where it was in his apartment along with the others in the series. He looked down at the book in the other’s lap, that black cover still there, and he made a low hum.

“Is that why you cover the title like that? You don’t want people to know what you’re reading?”

Anti frowned, looking back at the book as well, and he let out a huff. The book was a fictional fantasy; sure it didn’t sound very intimidating and it wasn’t like one of the well-known series, but Jack still adored it.

“There’s nothing wrong with liking fantasy stories.” Jack said, smiling more. “Half of the movies that come out these days are. And like every Disney movie.” That made the other man chuckle quietly, though he didn’t say anything about it, and the brunet leaned back to his earlier position. “Well, I really like that story.” He said softly, closing his eyes once more.

He didn’t hear anything for a moment, wondering what the other was doing but didn’t open an eye to see. Then there was the flip of a page.

It sounded a little closer, to his right, and he gave in to take a look only to see Anti laying down on the grass. He had his knees up, book resting against his legs, and one arm was behind his head while the other held the book in place. He didn’t move when Jack lied down next to him, thumb holding the book open as a breeze ruffled the pages. Jack had closed his eyes again, letting his mind drift off, faintly wondering if he really felt the brush against his shoulders.

…

Jack heard a murmur, voice low, and something was bumping his arm. He blinked his eyes open, seeing Anti sitting up next to him, and he grumbled as he sat up on his elbows.

“You fell asleep.”

Jack rubbed an eye, frowning a bit as Anti said that. He thought he had only been laying down for a few minutes, but when he looked around, he noticed it wasn’t as bright out. He sat up further, rolling his shoulders back as he stretched a bit. Anti stood up then, holding a hand out for the brunet to stand as well, and Jack brushed off stray strands of grass that had stuck to his clothing. Anti murmured quietly about how they should get going before it got too late, not wanting the brunet to walk in the dark, and Jack nodded, a soft “oh” the only thing he managed to say. Anti offered to walk with him up to the café, Jack nodding once more, though he started to wonder where the other man lived.

Their walk back to the café was just as quiet as their walk to the park, steps light against the sidewalk. The sun was just starting to set once they made it to the front of the store, though it was still light enough to see clearly. The green-haired man made a small nod this time when they paused in front of the café door, saying a quiet goodbye, then turned around to walk back the other way. Jack watched him for a second, his back turned to the brunet as he walked back towards the park, and Jack hummed in thought before turning to leave to his own home.

He made it back to his apartment just before the sun dipped below the horizon. He made himself something quick to eat, realizing he hadn’t eaten since the café, and wondered about the other man while he sat at the table. He hoped the other got home before it got too dark as well, not knowing where he lived, but he couldn’t say he didn’t appreciate the other walking with him.

He went to bed early that night, thoughts lingering on the green-haired man before drifting off.

…

A pillow fell off the bed as Jack startled himself awake. He had his eyes wide open, body feeling numb as he blinked away a tear. He let out a sigh once he realized what had happened, groaning into the other pillow he had as he pressed his face against the fabric. He had almost forgotten about the nightmares.

He laid in bed for a while, not wanting to get up, and he turned his head to face the wall. He had been so focused on other things, other people, that his mind hadn’t thought about that reoccurring dream in a while. He huffed, wishing that could’ve lasted longer, but eventually dragged himself out from under the covers.

He didn’t look in the mirror as he adjusted the scarf around his neck when he was preparing to leave, eyes casted downwards at the floor. As he stepped out of the apartment, he decided to wear his earbuds, hoping listening to some songs would lighten his mood a bit. His mind managed to zone out for a moment as he followed his path to the café, not paying much attention as he’s been down the same road day after day. He let out a sigh once he made it, one hand reaching up to take out his earbuds as the other pushed the door open. Nate was the first to greet him as always and Jack gave him a small smile back before heading to the corner table where Anti was waiting. He sat down across from him, wrapping his cord up as he gave the other a soft “good morning”, and though Anti said it back, he noticed the green-haired man eyeing him for a moment longer. Anti didn’t say anything, though, and returned to his book.

Jack didn’t get to work right away, instead taking a few sips from his coffee as he let himself relax. When he did take out his laptop, he typed slowly, pausing between each email, and he found himself sidetracking more. He did notice Anti look up from his book once in a while, gaze quiet before returning to the pages, but there none the less.

Jack eyed his empty coffee cup after the first hour passed, and although he usually waits until he leaves to throw it away, he wanted to walk for a moment and stood up. The trashcan was by the door, only a few steps away, but it was something. As he sat back down at the table, he saw Anti watching him again. He looked to his laptop, reading a few lines from a document he was sent, then he heard Anti speak up.

“What brought you to the café?”

Jack made a questioning hum, turning to the other as he repeated the question in his mind, then pursed his lips as he thought about it.

“I don’t remember when it was, but I remembering hearing about this place and how it was the more well-known café in town. It’s a nice place, for sure, and the coffee is good, but…” The brunet trailed off for a moment. “It’s nice to be around people, even if it’s just a café. I like the atmosphere… getting a warm cup of coffee with free internet so I can get some work done without worrying about it piling up… to just get out of the apartment so I’m not by myself.”

And… he had hoped to find his soulmate.

He wasn’t going to mention that part to Anti, not wanting to admit that, nor did he want to bring up those thoughts again. He didn’t know if they were still…

Anti nodded, murmuring that he likes the quiet atmosphere of it too. It may be a well-known place, but it was never overly crowded or chaotic. It was calm. They started talking a bit more, Anti mentioning how he had first gone to the café. He usually reads at the park, sometimes bringing something for the ducks at the pond as well, but when it’s crowded he goes somewhere else. Jack chuckled at the mention of the animals, thinking it was cute, though Anti huffed at that. He seemed to know a lot about them, though, talking about what they shouldn’t eat and how he doesn’t feed them every day. It made Jack smile, thinking the green-haired man had to be at least a little attached to them.

The two of them ended up leaving earlier than usual that day, heading to the park before lunch, and they sat together at the pond once more. As he said before, Anti didn’t have food for the animals this time, but they still watched them swim around while others curiously approached them looking for something to eat. Anti pointed out one of them, feathers looking a bit more ruffled than the others, and mentioned how that was the greedy one that would steal from others when he could. Two others, looking a little smaller than the others, used to be a pair of ducklings. Another was swimming further than the group, not interacting much with the others. It looked as though the others would get to the food before him, Anti pointed out, but it was all a plan for people to give him special treatment, thinking he was missing out.

Jack raised his eyebrows in surprise before squinting at that one, saying he wouldn’t fall for it now that he knew, and the other chuckled softly.

Anti eventually picked up his book he had resting beside him, continuing where he left off from the café, and had it low in his hands. He didn’t move when Jack leaned over to see what page he was on, the brunet reading a few lines before perking up, recognizing the scene. He would glance over from time to time to see where Anti was at, the other reading in silence for a while, but he was starting to show more expressions. Jack watched as he frowned slightly at a page, eyes scanning the lines a little faster before he let out a soft huff, reading on. And then he spoke up. He still kept his head down, not turning to see the other, but he commented about one of the characters, muttering about the chapter he was on. Jack leaned over a little more, humming as he thought back to when he read it, and murmured back about it. They kept their voices low, Anti occasionally taking a minute before responding as he kept his focus on the story, and Jack caught himself wanting to rest his head on Anti’s shoulder more than once.

The two of them enjoyed the afternoon, though, sitting together in the calmness of the park while they talked. It went by faster than Jack had wanted; the light starting to dim as it got later in the day. Anti closed the book at the next chapter mark, standing up as Jack did the same. The brunet started to walk home, and though he didn’t say anything about it, he was happy to have the green-haired man walk with him once more up to the café.

When Jack got home, he went to the spare bedroom where he had his bookshelf. He ran his fingers lightly across the covers, finding the series that Anti was reading, and pulled out the first book with a small smile. He returned to his bedroom, book in hand as he changed to sleepwear, and opened to the first page as he laid back against the headboard.

…

“You awake?”

Jack blinked slowly, looking up from his laptop screen to Anti sitting across from him at the café, the other’s eyebrow raised a little as he asked the question. Jack rubbed his forehead, not realizing how long he was staring at the screen lost in thought. He had woken up from another dark dream last night, seeing the tired look in his eyes when he saw his reflection in the morning. He had hoped that taking a warm shower would help, but he could tell he was still tired, his earlier yawning not helping his cause.

He murmured that he was fine, just thinking too much, and turned back to his laptop. He reread the email he had pulled up, trying to remember what he was doing again, and pursed his lips.

“What is it you work on?”

Jack looked over at the green-haired man once more, glancing at the screen for a moment before sitting back in his chair.

“I work for a little company; I guess I could be called a type of editor.” Jack answered. “Not books or anything, just whatever documents or papers I get sent. Once in a while I’ll have to write something myself, but I mainly just help clean up other work and make them look nice.”

Anti nodded, asking how it’s been, and the brunet huffed a small laugh.

“Depends on how much work I have to review. I’d say most of the time it’s fine, but sometimes I’ll get these people who send me what they’re working on, I’ll tell them what they should do and how to make it better, then they get mad and complain about how I can’t tell them what to do.” Jack said, squinting as he put his hand up in a confused gesture. “That’s… that’s my job, dude, that’s why you send your work to me in the first place.”

Anti sighed at that, though the corner of his lips turned upwards, and Jack chuckled back. He then scrolled through his list of emails, remembering one in particular that he got last month, and brought it up once he found it. He turned his laptop around, pointing to the screen as Anti leaned forward to read it. He watched as green eyes scanned the page before his eyebrows raised and he looked up at the brunet with a surprised expression.

“See.” Jack huffed as the green-haired man looked back at the email once more.

“And you have to work with these people?” Anti asked and Jack nodded more.

Jack turned the laptop back around, searching for another email, and found a conversation he had with a group. He turned it back around to Anti, leaning to the side to try to see the screen himself as he pointed at the names, and ended up walking around the table to sit next to the other to the right instead. The laptop was between the two of them and Jack continued to explain what had happened during the emails. The two of them had leaned closer together, at first just to see the screen better, but when Jack had finished talking, Anti chuckling at the odd people he had to deal with, they didn’t move back.

Jack had pulled his laptop closer to continue working and Anti picked up his book, both of them returning to their quiet routine, but once in a while the brunet would feel their shoulders brush when one of them leaned over a bit.

When it passed noon, they didn’t head over to the park, instead parting ways after they left the café. Anti told the brunet he should get some rest, giving him a small wave before turning around, and Jack kept the thought in his head.

Returning home, Jack set his bag down, shoes off as he walked calmly through his apartment with socks. He stepped through the doorway to his bedroom and saw his book sitting on the nightstand, bookmark in place. He smiled lightly, thinking back to Anti, and sat back in bed as he grabbed the book from the stand. He spent the rest of the day laying back in bed until he eventually fell asleep, book laying on the pillow next to him.

The next morning, Jack walked into the café, seeing Anti with their two cups on the table, but the brunet’s cup was to the right of the other. He quietly stepped over to the table, sitting down next to the green-haired man as he nudged his shoulder lightly. Anti glanced at him, giving him a slight upturn of his lips before returning to his story as if nothing was different.

And that was how the two of them started to spend each day together.

They would sit side by side; sometimes Jack would have his laptop turned a little so the green-haired man could see, sometimes Anti would have his book tilted a bit so the brunet could read what page was next. They would talk softly, voices low as if they were speaking secrets, but once in a while they would chuckle to one another.

Jack would point at his screen when he would get more emails from those he was working with, sighing at them as Anti looked over, but the green-haired man would hum and offer some advice. He would suggest what to write back with, thinking of some things the brunet could do that might help as well, and sometimes just shrugging.

Then sometimes they’d relax more, Jack asking about where the other was at in the story as Anti mentioned what thoughts he had while reading. Jack would smile, hearing how the other’s voice would lighten up when he spoke about it. Jack brought up his own small bookshelf at home, finger tapping his lip as he tried to remember all the titles he had at home, and Anti had looked happy to hear about them. Then Jack mentioned the series Anti was reading, how he was rereading it to refresh his memory and had the book he was on by his bed. He hadn’t thought much of it as he said he would read some of it after waking up too early for anything else, but he caught a glimpse of that careful look the green-haired man would give him after he’d walk into the café lately. It seemed almost concerned, though Jack could never really tell, but Anti would never say anything about it. It had only lasted for a moment before Anti’s expression returned to normal, however, and they continued their conversation.

The next morning, Jack noticed the look again. Anti would turn his head when the brunet stepped inside, eyebrows lowered ever so slightly as though he were trying to figure something out in his head, but it would disappear after the brunet sat down. It wasn’t really something Jack took notice of until he started paying attention to it. Whatever it had meant, though, Anti didn’t give any clues about it.

…

Jack woke up a few days later with a grumble, not needing to check what time it was to know it was far too early to get up. He was thankful the dreams right now didn’t wake him up in a panic like before, but he wasn’t fond of losing sleep like this either. He closed his eyes, feeling a part of his mind wanting to get some sort of rest, but he knew he wouldn’t find any tonight. So he sat up, placing his pillow up against the headboard as he picked up his book from the side table. It helped, though, to have his mind focused on something else, to momentarily be in the world of the story rather than stuck with his own repeating thoughts.

He stayed there until light eventually started seeping through his closed blinds, sun starting to rise as it turned to morning. He closed the book, placing it on his lap, but didn’t move for a moment as he looked at the digital clock by his bed. He yawned a few times, feeling tired as he finally brought his legs to the side of the bed, but stood up to get dressed. He put on a lighter long-sleeved shirt, scarf around his neck like usual, but it was supposed to be a little warmer this morning. Anti had asked him to meet at the park this morning rather than the café, and as Jack moved the blinds over to peek outside, the sky did seem softer, grey clouds not blocking the view.

He went through his morning routine without much thought, eyes half closed as he walked around each room. He made himself a quick breakfast, carrying the plate around as he put his things together, setting it down only when he was finished. He had been thinking about it and decided to take the car once he made it to the bottom of the building’s stairs, knowing it was the faster and easier way to get there. That and he was feeling too tired to be walking across town lately.

The drive was peaceful, the brunet appreciating it greatly, and once he stepped out at the park, he noted that it did seem more calm today. It didn’t take long for him to spot Anti sitting by the pond, a little farther from the water’s edge, but looking out towards it still. There were their two plastic coffee cups by his side, causing a small smile to form on the brunet. Anti turned his head once Jack was close enough, the brunet sitting down next to him, noticing the hair pin holding back the section of hair that would cover the side of his face, and they shared a quiet greeting as Jack picked up his drink. He closed his eyes as he took a sip, humming softly as the fresh coffee warmed him up, but as he opened his eyes, he saw Anti watching him with a sad look, eyebrows lowered. Jack slowly set down his drink, blinking slowly with a frown as he was about to ask what was wrong, but watched instead as the green-haired man lifted a hand up, carefully placing it on the brunet’s cheek. He didn’t move as green eyes looked over him, silent for a moment as he held back the want to lean into the touch, then the other made a soft sound.

“You’re not taking care of yourself.”

Anti had said it so softly, looking into the brunet’s eyes with a gentle worry. His hand was warm, fingers light against the brunet’s cheek, and Jack had spent a moment just looking at the other before he finally responded with a quiet “oh.” He looked down as he went to grab his phone, though, and the hand was moved away.

He pulled up the camera, holding the phone in front of himself as he looked at the screen, and he finally saw his reflection this morning. His hair was a little messy, though not bad, and it was easy to tell he had put his scarf on quickly, but then he saw his eyes. He hadn’t been paying too much to his appearance lately and he finally saw how tired he looked, eyes lacking that energetic spark, starting to look dull, and he had a light frown on his face. He brought a hand up to touch under his left eye, letting out a sigh, then set his phone down as he looked to the side.

“Oh… It’s nothing…” He had said, though as he looked up to meet the other’s eyes again, he could see the genuine concern, and he felt as if it would be okay to talk about it. “I just haven’t been getting as much sleep lately. I’ll… have nightmares once in a while, but it’s been happening more recently. I don’t usually go back to sleep after waking up from one, and I guess it’s starting to show now, huh?” He made a small chuckle at the end, hoping to lighten it a bit, though Anti’s expression hadn’t changed.

But the green-haired man didn’t seem upset, listening quietly and asking a few questions, but understanding. He kept it small, wanting to make sure the brunet was doing okay, but the thought gave Jack a warm feeling.

They talked for a moment longer, but the other man soon picked up his book, Jack noting that it was the next in the series, and he perked up. Anti smiled when he noticed the other, opening the cover as he mentioned that he finished the other book last night, and Jack brightened up as he asked about what he thought. They spent the morning relaxing then, Jack always happy to hear the others thoughts, and found it nice to spend the day outside.

They spotted the ducks soon before noon, the feathered animals returning to the pond from one of their other spots, and though the two men smiled at them, Anti had stood up, offering his hand to the brunet, and led the way to leave. Jack’s car was by the front so they didn’t walk together very far. The brunet had briefly wondered if they would go somewhere else together, but Anti had murmured for Jack to return home to rest. He nodded lightly, asking if the green-haired man would like a ride home, but the other said he had something else he needed to do today. They waved their goodbyes then as Jack turned back to his car.

After returning home, Jack decided to try to actually get some rest this time, thinking it might be easier with some light in the room. He changed to comfortable pajamas, and though he eyed his bed, he ended up padding over to the couch to lie down on that instead. He had a blanket over the back, bringing that down over him, and rested his head on one of the little pillows. He didn’t have too much in the apartment, but he was grateful for the comfort that the soft cushions brought.

He closed his eyes, listening to the birds by the apartment, and let his mind wander until sleep eventually found him.

…

“How are you feeling this morning?” Anti had asked as the brunet sat down at their table.

After falling asleep on the couch, Jack had woken up to find it was early morning, meaning he had stayed asleep all day after returning home. It had still been dark out, but he decided to spend the time to take it easy and go slow. He worked in the kitchen under a soft light from a single lamp, making something for breakfast, something proper. After that, he had cleaned up the apartment a bit, feeling happier about it, and tended to his potted plant by the door when the sun began to rise. He felt better by getting something done, even if it was light. He had leftover muffins at home now, too.

He told all that to the other man, aside from him falling asleep on the couch, and the other seemed happy to hear so. They continued the rest of the day as usual, sitting next to one another as they read and worked, then walked to the park to relax by the pond and talk. Anti had brought another snack for the ducks, having been a while since they had something, and they scooted closer together as they tossed the treats to the water. Jack could feel their shoulders brushing once more and a thought crossed his mind, wanting to lean his head down against the other’s shoulder and close his eyes. Maybe that would help. Maybe then he could rest without worrying about waking up from another dark dream.

He hummed as the green-haired man stood up and offered a hand for him to get up as well, and though he took it, he found himself reluctantly letting go, wanting to instead feel the other’s hand in his as they walked back.

The sun was starting to set as the two of them returned to the front of the café. They paused and the brunet turned to face the other to say goodbye, but noticed him pulling something out of his pocket. It was a little faded purple cloth bag, the size of his palm, with the top tied closed with a white ribbon. He held it out and it took Jack a moment to realize it was for him, taking it carefully in hand as he tilted his head a little. Anti gave him a small smile, saying it was a gift for him, but before the brunet could ask what it was, the other had already turned to leave.

Jack held the bag in his hand as he walked home, staring down at it as he tried to figure out what it could be. He could feel something in it along with what he guessed could be a card, finger running over points under the cloth. He carried it to his bed once he returned to the apartment, grabbing one of the muffins from his glass container on the kitchen counter as well, and set the little bag on the blanket in front of him as he ate. He was definitely curious, but something was telling him to wait, finishing his muffin first as the light faded from the room. He got up to throw away the wrapper and changed into loose pajama pants and a t-shirt, then he finally sat at the head of his bed, turning on the little light on the nightstand, and picked up the small bag.

He loosened the ribbon to open it, tilting it as an object slid out onto his other hand, and he knit his eyebrows together in confusion. He looped his finger around a small black string, letting the charm hang just below his hand. At the end of the string was a beautifully cut crystal, though it still resembled its organic state, and different shades of purple reflected the dim light as Jack turned it slowly. He could see small silver specks among the purple as well, reminding him of stars, twinkling softly. On the string was also a smaller silver crescent moon charm, smooth to the touch and decorated with a single white gem on the top.

And Jack smiled.

He set it down on his leg and picked up the bag once more to take out the business card it came with, reading what it said, and found it was a sleep charm. A purple crystal with silver speckles like the starry sky above partnered with a crescent moon.

Jack blinked as his eyes began to blur and realized he had started to tear up as he read the card, bringing a hand up to wipe his eyes. He slept on the couch fine last night, but it wasn’t something he wanted to do again, not something that’d be comfortable to do for too long either. He wasn’t looking forward to the night, not wanting another dream to startle him awake, but then Anti gave him this. He turned the card idly over in his hand, not expecting to see anything on the back, but was surprised once more.

On the back of the card written in black pen was a note.

_”If you ever want to talk.”_

Under that was a number and the brunet’s eyes widened, tearing up once more, and he let out a mixed chuckle and a sob. He picked up the charm then and held it close to his chest, smiling as a tear dripped from his cheek. He wiped his face again afterwards, sniffling, and turned to look at the headboard. He pursed his lips, thinking for a moment, then quickly got up to search through a drawer in the kitchen until he found a pushpin. He brought it back to the bed, pressing it into the top of the soft wooden headboard, in the middle, then hung the charm on it. He sat back, eyeing it for a moment, and liked how it looked. It was nice.

He was still smiling softly, feeling himself relax, and prepared to go to sleep. The bag that the charm came with was moved to the nightstand, card resting on top of it, while the brunet picked up his phone as he turned off the little light. He laid down, head on the pillow below the charm, and opened up a new message. The light from his phone casted a low glow over his face as he typed two words, pressing send, then set his phone back and closed his eyes.

_”Thank you.”_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And chapter two is done! As always, I'd love to hear what you guys think!  
> However, I didn't get much time to write last week with preparation for finals going on. I want to have the story done by Sunday, that's what I'll be planning to do, but there's a chance it won't be done by then so ch. 3 might be pushed back to next next Sunday. I want to have enough time to write and edit and feel comfortable with it before it gets posted.  
> If that happens I'll let you know on [my tumblr](https://galaxykitty42.tumblr.com/), but I've also been working on drawings for the story! I have two almost done atm and I'm working on a third, and you are all welcome to visit and say hi there!


	3. Chapter 3

It was almost past midnight, room dark aside from the brunet’s laptop screen. Jack was lying on his side on the bed, laptop next to his pillow, and he was calmly watching through a series as he propped his chin up on his hand. He kept glancing at the time, but he just wasn’t feeling too tired, not wanting to lie down and close his eyes.

As the next video queued up began to play, he tilted his head up to see the purple charm hanging above him on the headboard and a soft smile graced his lips. A few weeks had passed since he was gifted the charm, and though he couldn’t be sure what the reason was, he’d been able to get more rest, dreams softer. The first day after the gift, when Jack saw the green-haired man sitting at the café, he sat down in the chair next to him and hugged him tightly. It was a bit odd, given that they were both in chairs a bit apart from one another, but it was warm, the brunet’s head resting on the other’s shoulder, and he felt the other lean his head down against him too. The familiar scent of coffee still drifted in the air, but Jack was now close enough to the other to detect Anti’s own scent, something light, but comforting, and the brunet subtly tilted his head closer to try to pinpoint what it reminded him of.

They moved away before Jack could figure out what it was, but they shared a soft look, the brunet chuckling quietly as he thanked the other for the gift once more. After that, the brunet began to relax more whenever he was with the other, feeling more at ease as though the hug showed they were comfortable with one another. When they were at the park, Jack would lean over against the other like he had wanted to before, resting his head against the other’s shoulder again, and they didn’t move away as Anti rested his book open on his lap and read.

Now, Jack was home watching videos by himself, wondering what it would be like to have the other with him instead.

He picked up his phone and opened his messages, finding Anti’s name at the top of the list. He reread some of their recent texts, corner of his lip curving upwards when he saw the picture of the plant by his door that he had sent. He was proud of it.

He looked at the time again, humming quietly as he thought. It was late; he wasn’t sure if the other was awake, but he pulled up the phone’s keyboard and typed. He paused for a moment, thumb hovering over the screen, but sent it.

_”Are ducks nocturnal?”_

It was the first thing that came to mind and he wasn’t sure if the other would understand what he meant by that either. It’d probably be a funny thing to wake up to, though. He set the phone down, not expecting a reply, and his attention returned to the video on his laptop. Then his phone buzzed.

_”Yes.”_

The brunet was surprised, sitting up as he checked it again, and it really was Anti. He turned to the doorway, another moment passing as he thought to himself, but he chuckled as he got out of bed and fixed his scarf around his neck. He was wearing his usual loose pajama pants paired with an old shirt, but he knew well enough to slip on a jacket before he left out the front door.

The drive through town was silent, hardly seeing any other car on the road. It was nice, letting the brunet think. There was always something calming about driving by yourself at night.

He saw one other car at the park, closer towards the corner of the lot where Jack would go since it was nearest to the pond. Yellow lights shone over the park as he pulled up, leaving a space between the other car, and watched as everything returned to darkness after turning off the headlights. Of course there were a few streetlamps by the road, illuminating the boundaries around the park, but the park itself was dim.

Jack stepped up to the grass and put his hands in his jacket pockets with his keys. He walked down the familiar path, almost following it by memory. He kept his eyes up, searching for another person, and spotted the pond as he got closer, but didn’t see anyone by the water’s edge. He continued walking, continued to look, but he didn’t even see movement from any of the other animals as well. The brunet let out a sigh, knowing he was taking a long shot by driving out here in the middle of the night. He had still hoped, though.

He didn’t want to leave just yet, wanting to wait even so. The wind was blowing lightly, but cold enough to make the brunet pull his jacket tighter around himself, and he decided to look for a tree he could sit against that could shield him from the breeze. His head turned to the nearest one, taking a step, but he paused, seeing something he didn’t recognize first.

And then he realized it was Anti, sitting with his back against the tree himself.

Jack called out his name, smiling when he saw the other lift his head up, guessing he was resting, and quickly walked over to sit down next to him. The green-haired man was wearing something different than his usual attire as well while his hair was messily covering the side of his face. It looked like he had on his own pair of dark plaid pajama bottoms, turtleneck gone and instead replaced with what looked like an old shirt with a faded icon, a black jacket, and a grey scarf.

It was odd seeing the other wearing something else, having become so used to seeing the same thing each day. He looked a lot more casual, Jack guessing he wouldn’t be wearing this during the day in front of other, but…

“I like your scarf.” Jack said warmly.

Anti looked down at it, hand reaching up to brush the fabric. It looked soft.

“It’s an old one.” The other replied, gaze returning to the brunet. “It’s been worn out.”

“Yeah, mine is too.” Jack chuckled. “But it still looks nice.”

They shared a small smile and the brunet instinctively sat closer to the other, seeking warmth against the cold night. Yet even though it was cold and Jack had messaged him at such an odd hour of the night, Anti still came. He was here.

They talked quietly, Anti eventually asking if there was any particular reason why the brunet wanted to be out this late.

“Wasn’t feelin’ tired.” Jack murmured, noticing as the other glanced at him. “Not from the nightmares or anything; those have actually been getting better.”

Anti hummed and the two of them were quiet for a moment.

“May I ask what the nightmares are about? When you get them.”

Jack looked down at the grass in front of them, eyebrows knit together as he thought about it. He didn’t mind talking about the dreams he gets, but that particular one… Anti was patient, not urging him on, and the brunet was sure if he didn’t answer, the other wouldn’t mind, but Anti made him feel okay. He felt comfortable. 

“My soulmate.” He finally said after another pause, sighing quietly. “I don’t know who they are… and I’m worried I never will.”

Anti was silent, though it didn’t bother the brunet. It was always a difficult subject for anyone and there really wasn’t anything he could say, nothing that Jack hadn’t heard from those inspirational commercials on the television.

They weren’t very inspirational anyway.

Then Jack felt an arm around his shoulder, being pulled closer to the other’s side.

“It’ll be okay.”

Jack’s head was resting on the other’s shoulder, but he tilted it up as he heard the other say that, trying to see his expression. The way he said it, it was so soft, but there was something else in it, like he understood.

“Have you…” Jack tapered off.

Has Anti met his yet? Does he know?

“They don’t want me.”

Jack felt himself still, not expecting to hear that, and his eyes widened. He had never thought about that before, never thought about the chance that he’d meet his soulmate only to find out they didn’t want him. He felt his heart drop for a moment, but then he frowned, quickly pushing those feelings to the side. He quickly sat up, startling the other as he looked into green eyes.

“Did they even get a chance to know you? Did they even try? That’s terrible; you’re a wonderful person, I don’t understand why they’d even think that.” Jack frowned more, feeling anger rising up as he wanted to find out who said that so he could punch them in the face. “You know what, they don’t even deserve you if that’s how they’re gonna be.”

He was talking quickly, countless thoughts running through his mind, but he stopped when he saw Anti start to chuckle. His frown turned to one of confusion, not understanding what the other was doing. Shouldn’t he be mad at that person too? But Anti was instead chuckling, the sound gentle and warm.

“You’re cute.”

Jack blinked at him, getting caught off guard by the other’s words once more, and he blushed but felt himself calm back down. He pursed his lips, not sure how to respond and still confused, and decided to just lean his head back down against the other. Anti moved his arm back around him, the two of them looking back out ahead.

“Thank you.” Anti said quietly and Jack closed his eyes.

Later, when they stood up to leave, they both walked back to the parking lot, and Jack found that the other car there belonged to Anti.

…

“Stay still.” Jack chuckled lightly, leaning over to see Anti’s face and quirk an eyebrow up.

It was a warm afternoon, the two of them at the park sitting at their new spot underneath the tree by the pond. It wasn’t often that the brunet saw it, but once in a while Anti would wear a clip in his hair that pulled back the green fluff that was usually over his face. He did it more when it was just the two of them, not as much when they were around others in the café. Jack had thought about it on more than one occasion, and now that they were by themselves at the park, Jack took it upon himself to try out new ideas on how the green-haired man could keep the fluff out of his face.

Anti would give him looks, one of which Jack could call a pout, but didn’t do anything to stop him, so he continued to run his fingers through the strands. “Fluff” really was a good word to describe the other’s hair; it was awfully soft.

Jack had a few small bands and clips with him, having bought them new since he didn’t really do much with his own hair himself, and sat facing the other’s side as he pulled the hair back. He chastised the other whenever he moved his head, strands falling loose from the brunet’s hand, but he caught a glimpse of a hidden smile from the other.

When he finished, Jack sat back on his heels and hummed thoughtfully at his work. There were two braids leading from the front of Anti’s hair around his right side, looking like half a crown, while a clip on either side helped keep back the rest of the green. There were of course a few loose strands from when the other moved, but Jack liked how it looked. He pulled out his phone and took a picture, turning it around then so the other could see, and watched as Anti carefully touched one of the braids.

“What do you think?” Jack asked as the other’s fingers lightly traced his hair.

Then the other nodded with a warm smile and soft eyes.

When he returned home, Jack looked at the picture again. Anti was wearing the same grey scarf as before, having changed from his usual turtlenecks to simple long sleeved shirts or light sweaters like Jack had. There was a small glint of silver on his left ear where his earring was as well. His expression was light, a hint of that curious look in his eyes, with subtle sunlight that filtered through the leaves over his face.

He looked beautiful.

The brunet set it as his lock screen.

The next day, when they met at the café, Anti’s hair was back down again, only tucked behind his ear when he read. However, when they were alone at the park, meeting back there when it got late, Jack would see his hair back up again. The braids were messy and loose, hair not pulled back like before, but the brunet smiled none the less when he saw it.

The two of them started meeting up at different places as well, wanting to visit other stores and try new things. One of them would send a text to another, mentioning something they found or read about, and they would meet up there instead of the café. Once they visited a bookstore when Anti pointed out a new story that was just published that he was interested in. Another time Jack sent a text graced with an ample amount of exclamation marks when a new movie he wanted to see was finally released in theaters.

They always seemed to return to the park, though. Sometimes if it was close enough, they would walk there together like they did when they were at the café. Other times they just planned to meet up there when it came close to dusk. Jack liked how it felt at night, how the air was calm and the moonlight casted over the grass and water. It was almost as if they were somewhere else, somewhere where it was just the two of them.

It was on one of those nights that Jack brought something along with him for the other. It was something simple, but when he walked past it in the store, it reminded him of Anti and thought it would be nice to get.

They were sitting side by side, closer to the water’s edge, and Anti had his hair up again. One of the braids was starting to fall out and Jack gently reached his hand over to the clips holding the two braids up. He took them out, catching the hair before it fell back into the other’s face, and his other hand went to his pocket to pull out a new clip. It was a little bigger than the other ones and was still a basic snap on, but the end was decorated with a silver leaf. Jack pulled the braids back again, sliding the clip over the ends, and his hand lingered, fingers brushing over the leaf.

He leaned back then, looking into gentle green eyes. He reached into his pocket once more, pulling out a second clip that matched the first to show it to the other.

“I thought it’d match your earring.” The brunet murmured, handing it to him.

Anti’s gaze lowered to the clip now in his hand, thumb brushing over the silver leaf lightly. His eyes then returned to the other, the two of them sharing a look, and the green-haired man lifted his hand up. He brushed his hand against the brunet’s forehead, moving loose strands out of the other’s face. His touch was light, moving slowly, and Jack leaned into his hand slightly.

Then Jack noticed something else, feeling as Anti pulled his hand back a little, and realized his hair stayed in place. Anti put the clip in his hair.

Anti’s hand trailed down to his cheek, pausing for a moment, and they looked into each other’s eyes once more. Then the green-haired man leaned forward, slowly, until their foreheads were touching lightly. They closed their eyes and Jack picked up on the other’s scent, wanting to figure out what it reminded him of again. It was comforting, like a type of flower, light but nice. Lavender maybe. Then he felt as their noses barely touched, knowing their lips were only inches apart. They were so close. If Jack moved just a bit closer, he could press their lips together. He wanted to. But he could sense the hesitance. They’re not…

They’re not soulmates.

Anti leaned back, moving his hand away, and the moment was gone.

“Thank you.” He said softly, the brunet making a small nod in return.

Jack wanted to reach out, to take the other’s hand again, to have just a few more seconds to be close again. Instead, the two of them stood up, saying their goodnights as they walked back to the parking lot. They didn’t even have the chance to walk together tonight, having taken their cars to meet up.

It felt odd for the brunet to drive home, radio off once more as he returned to his apartment in silence. His mind kept returning to the other, remembering the soft hand against his cheek, how careful his touch was.

Imagining what it would’ve been like if he leaned forward those last few inches.

At home, Jack looked to the mirror to see the matching clip in his hair. Although his hair was a lot shorter than the other’s, there was still enough for the clip as it rested just above his ear.

He took it out when he climbed into bed, holding it in front of himself as he idly turned it in his hand, and fell asleep with confused thoughts and slow dreams.

He opened his eyes slowly the next morning, the quiet feeling lingering. He stared at the window by his bed, the morning’s light starting to slip through the blinds. He blinked, suppressing a yawn, and caught a glint of something in the corner of his eye as he sat up a bit. He looked down and saw the silver hair clip resting on the bed, picking it up with a soft frown.

Anti…

He wanted to see him again. He wanted to wrap his arms around him, to hold him close like before, to feel that warmth, that comfort he always felt when he was with the other. Anti made him smile. He wanted to be with Anti.

Then Jack felt himself still, staring down at the silver clip as he held his breath for a second.

He wanted to be with Anti. _He_ wanted to be with Anti.

Jack had always been so worried about finding his soulmate, wondering who they were, when they would finally appear, what it would be like. He worried about it, about everything really, and he started going to the café in hopes of seeing them there. But since meeting Anti, he started to relax more, to smile more, to stop waiting for something to happen when he didn’t even know if something would. He didn’t know anything about his soulmate, but he knew Anti, knew he was quiet but caring, how he got that curious look in his eyes that made the brunet smile, how he would relax around the brunet as well, wearing his hair up and looking more at ease when it was just the two of them.

There have been times when people who weren’t soulmates got together, Jack seeing stories about it. It wasn’t often, but there was the chance. Anti’s soulmate, whoever they are, chose to be with someone else, and Jack didn’t know if he’d ever meet his. But… maybe that would be okay, maybe the two of them can work things out. Maybe they can give it a chance.

He wanted to be with Anti and maybe the other man wanted that too.

So he would ask the other out. Today.

Jack quickly got out of bed then, a new sense of hope running through him as he looked through his drawers for something nice to wear. He sent a text to the other man saying to meet at the park this morning, wanting to make sure he’d do it before he lost his courage. He certainly had new worries appearing in his mind, wondering what Anti would say, what he would think about them being together even if they weren’t exactly “destined to be”. Could they make it work?

But Jack shook those thoughts from his mind; he had to at least try.

Anti sent a text back while the brunet was finishing breakfast, replying that he was on his way, and Jack took a deep breath before preparing to leave as well. He had on one of his newer sweaters that Anti commented on before along with his dark jeans and his scarf. He put the silver clip in his hair, trying to do the same that Anti had last night, and stepped out the front door.

As he drove up to the park and got out of his car, he spotted a brown dog leaping into the air after a Frisbee. He chuckled, a flash of a memory flicking through his mind as he remembered his first time walking up to the park, before making his way to the pond. He spotted Anti waiting by the tree where they met during the night, standing under the leaves as he seemed to be looking upwards. He always looked so calm like that, off in his own thoughts, and the brunet would wonder what was on his mind when he was like that. Then he called out to the green-haired man, watching as his head turned and his calm expression turned into a soft smile when he saw the brunet.

Jack quickly walked up to him, smiling back as they greeted each other, and they both noticed the leaf clip they each had in their hair. Anti was wearing something similar to Jack as well, his grey scarf wrapped loosely around him, and Jack liked the idea that they could match.

Anti asked him about his morning and Jack started to tell him about his breakfast, leftovers from when he was messing around in the kitchen-

“Watch out!”

Jack turned his head, cutting off his sentence as he looked to see who had said that, but before he could move, a big brown dog jumped in the air and landed on his back, knocking him over and onto Anti. The two of them landed on the grass with a grunt, Anti barely avoiding missing the tree, and Jack looked up just in time to see a Frisbee fall from the tree as the dog picked it up and returned to a girl who had ran up to them. Jack guessed she was the owner and quickly pushed himself up to sit on his heels as the girl apologized over and over. He told her it was alright, seeing Anti slowly sit up as well, and added that the dog looked like a sweetheart. The girl apologized again, saying she would be more careful not to throw the Frisbee that far anymore, before she and the dog left.

Jack then turned to Anti, seeing the other sitting back on one of his hands while the other ran through his hair, taking out the clip that had loosened from the fall.

“Are you alright?” Jack asked, tone light. “I didn’t mean to land on you.”

“Yeah.” Anti replied as strands of hair fell over his face.

“Here, let me fix your h-“

Then Jack froze.

He stared, unmoving, mind going blank.

“Jack?”

He heard Anti’s voice and blinked.

“It’s…” His voice was quiet.

When they had fallen, Jack instinctively put his hands up to catch himself, clutching onto Anti by doing so as the other’s scarf was under his hands. And now it had fallen loose.

And Jack saw it.

He saw the faint white line, faltering as if the person had been scared, hand shaking. He knew that scar, knew it from the countless days of staring at it in his mirror. But that could only mean…

“It’s you…”

Anti knit his eyebrows together, not understanding what the brunet meant, and Jack felt his hands start to shake as it finally started to click in his mind. His soulmate, the person he’s been so worried about, so afraid of never meeting, so…

“It’s you.”

And suddenly he felt all his emotions come crashing down all at once, his fears and loneliness, the shock, still trying to comprehend everything, and tears started streaming down his face. But above all else, there was one emotion that overcame everything else.

“You’re okay.”

Relief.

Anti was staring at him with wide eyes, confusion growing, and Jack only had a moment to grab his own scarf, pulling it off, before his face scrunched up and he sobbed.

“Y-you’re okay.” He threw his arms around Anti, breaking down into sobs, and he felt as the other fell back against the tree. “You’re okay, you’re okay.” He clutched onto Anti’s shirt, burying his face against the other’s shoulder, and his whole body was shaking. “I thought I lost you, I- I was so afraid, but you’re okay…” His voice started to break, trembling, and he took a deep breath, having trouble from crying, and when he tried to speak again, it just came out as another sob.

He couldn’t speak anymore, cries taking up too much of his breath, so instead the brunet tightened his hold on the other, not wanting to let go, not wanting to lose him, and cried.

Anti hadn’t moved, hadn’t spoken anything, as he had to take a moment for his own mind to catch up. Jack then felt as the other slowly moved his arms up, hovering in the air like he didn’t know where to put them. Then they carefully wrapped around the brunet, at first feeling as though they were barely there, then slowly got stronger until Anti was pulling the brunet close to his chest without a space between them.

Jack felt as Anti’s head rested against his, feeling a breath against his cheek, and that’s how they stayed as the brunet continued to cry. He distantly felt as something else fell onto his face, like a droplet of water, a tear, but neither of them moved. They stayed close as the minutes passed by, time turning to a blur, and eventually the brunet’s cries turned to soft sniffles and shaky breaths.

He had his eyes closed and was at first only focused on holding onto the other as tightly as he could, but as he finally started to calm down, he started to notice other things. He felt as Anti’s chest rose up and down with each breath, how the other’s hand would sometimes rub his back slightly, how warm it was to be in the other’s arms compared to the cool morning’s breeze. He wanted to curl up closer, to stay like this. He felt safe.

Eventually his breathing had evened out, tears dry, and his arms had relaxed from their tense hold. He didn’t know how much time had passed then, but Anti finally started to move, sitting up from the tree as he turned the brunet in his lap, tucking the brunet’s legs up, and slipped an arm under his knees. Jack opened his eyes and looked to see Anti then stand up, other arm holding his back, and carefully start carrying him out of the park. He had his own arms around the green-haired man shoulders, resting his head down, and he quietly wondered where the other was going. As much as he liked it, he knew he wasn’t the easiest thing to carry around, so they couldn’t be going far.

He watched as they left the park, head facing behind Anti, and he looked down over the other’s shoulder as the green-haired man stepped onto the sidewalk. They followed the path for a moment before Jack noticed that they stopped in the parking lot. He felt Anti shuffle a bit, huffing as he adjusted his hold on the brunet, then there was the click of a car door opening.

Jack started to lean back, wanting to see what was happening, but Anti suddenly set him down and he realized then that Anti carried him to his car. He hadn’t even noticed when the other had gotten his keys to unlock the door. He was sitting in the driver’s seat, Anti standing in the open door, but the other started to step back, hand on the door as though he were to close it.

“W-wait, you can’t-“ Jack’s eyes widened, starting to panic at the thought of Anti leaving now, and he started to get up.

Anti held his hand out, though, murmuring for him to stay, and the brunet watched with parted lips as Anti closed the door, leaving Jack alone in the car. His eyes followed the green-haired man as he walked around the front of the car and he felt tears threaten to fall once more, if there were any left.

Then he heard the click again as the other door opened and Anti got into the passenger’s side. He quietly pulled the seatbelt over and the brunet saw both of their scarves resting on his lap. Then Anti looked up at him, waiting patiently, and Jack was at a loss for words once more. He picked up the keys, hearing them jingle, and glanced at the green-haired man for another moment before finally starting the car.

Neither of them spoke during the drive as the radio played soft music. Jack wasn’t sure where to start and he was sure Anti was the same. They should probably relax first, give everything time to settle in. He glanced at the other again at a red light, but he gave the brunet a small reassuring smile. It would be okay.

The brunet was a little nervous when they pulled up to his apartment building, though. They weren’t the biggest rooms, but Jack had never minded it before since he lives alone and never cared for extra space if he didn’t need it. That and he could afford this space without worrying too much. He led the way as they walked up the stairs and to his apartment, pausing for a moment as he unlocked the door, then they stepped inside. They stopped in the middle of the first room, standing between the open area of the living room and kitchen, and Jack turned to watch as Anti looked around. Then he saw the other’s shirt.

“O-oh, let me get you something else to change into.” The brunet said, turning quickly to get to his bedroom.

He kind of cried all over Anti’s shirt.

He looked through his closet, finding something that should fit the other, then hummed as he looked to his dresser. He ended up changing clothes himself, switching into loose pajamas, and picked out a pair of pajama pants for the other as well in case he wanted to switch from his jeans.

Anti stepped into the room a moment later and Jack handed him the clothes, murmuring about the pajamas, then turned his back as he walked over to the bed. He laid down, propping his knees up, and stared at the ceiling, taking slow breaths as he wondered what was next. He looked over when he felt a dip in the bed, seeing Anti lie down next to him in the change of clothes, head on the other pillow as he faced the brunet.

They looked into each other’s eyes, still unsure as to what to say and quiet. Then Jack felt his breath hitch for a moment as a thought crossed his mind. He’s lived alone, used to sleeping by himself, to waking up with no one else there. He remembers nights he’d stare at the empty space next to him, wishing someone was there.

And now someone was there.

Anti was there.

The brunet shut his eyes, not wanting new tears to fall, and shifted to lay next to the other, putting an arm around Anti’s chest as he rested his head on the other’s shoulder. He could feel the other’s heartbeat, a soft gentle rhythm, and he blinked away another tear. He already cried on one shirt today; he didn’t need to cry on another.

He then felt Anti’s hand move as it lightly brushed against his forehead and fingers ran through his hair. It was slow, the brunet taking a deep breath as it calmed him down, and he let out a small sigh.

“We’re okay.” Jack murmured above a whisper, though it was partly to himself.

Then Anti’s hand moved, back of his nails carefully brushing against the brunet’s cheek, stopping under his chin, and the other leaned forward to place a kiss under Jack’s eye. The brunet stilled, feeling his cheeks start to blush, and the other placed another kiss lower on the brunet’s cheek, then another at the corner of his lips. He stopped as the two of them turned to face one another, looking into each other’s eyes once more, then the green-haired man leaned forward, pressing his lips against Jack’s.

“We’re okay.” Anti murmured back, as if answering like it was a question, and Jack had to close his eyes again from another tear.

Jack scooted over to lay over Anti once more, feeling the rise and fall of the other’s chest. He’s there. Anti is there. And that’s all they did, lying in bed, comforted by the other’s presence. The brunet started to doze off before long, but he felt something moving him, the blanket pulled out from under him, then warmth as it was pulled over him. He had his eyes closed, mumbling something sleepily as he patted the side of the bed until he found the other to snuggle up to him again, and soon fell asleep.

The next morning, Jack woke up to find himself laying on his stomach on the right side of the bed, one arm hugging the pillow while the other was still over Anti’s stomach. It was dark out now, as the two of them had fallen asleep in the middle of the day yesterday, and Jack took a minute for his mind to clear up before turning to face the other. As his eyes adjusted to the darkness, he saw that Anti was awake too, one eye closed against the pillow while the other was looking back at him. He asked Anti to turn on the little light on the nightstand, watching as the other rolled over to reach it, and the room filled with the small light.

Anti turned back, the two of them slowly waking up, then Anti’s eyes wandered to see the small crystal charm hanging on the headboard. His lips parted, a small expression of surprise forming on his face, and the brunet chuckled softly at him when their eyes met.

“I told you I liked it.” Jack said quietly and Anti smiled back at him.

However, Anti’s smile only lasted for a moment, fading into a frown when his eyes looked down. He moved his hand up, reaching over slowly to the brunet, and Jack realized he was looking at the scar. He tensed up slightly when the other’s hand touched the side of his neck, brushing against the scar lightly. He was so used to hiding it; it was odd. Looking at Anti, though, he could see the other’s own worry, looking conflicted as though he had multiple thoughts running through his mind.

Jack reached up to take the other’s hand, seeing Anti’s eyes look up from the scar, and he laced their fingers together as he placed a gentle kiss against Anti’s palm. It seemed to ease the other’s mind, even if it was just a bit, and they shared quiet words as they waited for the time to get closer to morning. Jack spoke about breakfast, saying he could make something, and pointed to the door where the bathroom was and how Anti could take a shower if he wanted.

When they finally got up, it was still dark out, but neither of them seemed to mind. Jack had walked out to the kitchen, getting new ingredients out for breakfast as he heard the shower turn on in the bathroom. He grabbed a box of muffin mix from one of the shelves, thinking about making more of those, but he saw his old waffle maker hidden further in the back. It was a present he got in the mail for one of his birthdays, pretty sure as a joke, and he hadn’t ever used it much.

Might as well use it now.

Putting the muffin box away, he grabbed the small machine and plugged it in on the counter. He set everything else up to mix the batter, adding ingredients to the bowl, and once it was ready, poured it into the single waffle maker. He leaned back against the counter behind him, waiting for the first waffle to be done, and his eyes looked to the carton of eggs, only two left.

Might as well use them now.

While the waffle was cooking, he got out a pan on the stove to heat up as he cracked the eggs in another bowl and stirred them up. Just as he poured them into the pan, he heard a door open and turned to see Anti walk out from the hallway. He was wearing a pair of Jack’s sweats with a shirt thrown over his shoulder, bare chest exposed, and he had his arms up as he ruffled a towel over his hair. The brunet’s hand stilled in the air as he stared at the other, eyes glancing down at his chest, and blushed lightly when he looked up to see Anti’s gaze on him.

He then smelled the waffle cooking, making a small “oh” as he turned quickly to open the lid. He pulled down a plate, using a fork to help flip the waffle onto it, and started to add new batter to the device. Then he felt Anti walk past him, the other’s hand grazing his shoulder, and turned his head to see the other start tending to the eggs in the pan. He smiled softly, returning his attention to the next waffle as he evened out the batter and closed the lid, and he brushed past Anti once more as he started grabbing some of the dishes to clean up. They worked quietly together, close to one another in the small space, and Jack found it comforting.

Anti did eventually put the shirt on, towel hanging over the back of one of the dining chairs, and they finished making breakfast with ease. They each had a waffle with scrambled eggs on the side, the brunet putting the two extra waffles in the fridge for later, and they sat on the couch in the living room while they ate. Jack had the television turned on, playing a recording he saved, and smiled. He doesn’t remember the last time he’s sat down and watched a show with someone else like this, just relaxing. He doesn’t remember really having anyone over, only faintly remembering some visits from old friends and family. He missed it.

When their plates were empty, they set them down on the coffee table, and the brunet leaned back on the couch. He closed his eyes for a moment only to open them when he felt weight on his shoulder, finding Anti leaning against him. Jack was surprised at first, but he soon lifted his arm up to wrap around the other’s shoulders, maneuvering them until they were both lying down on the couch with the other laying over him.

Jack wasn’t quite sure what to do, but he hummed softly when he looked down to see the other’s head resting on his chest. Anti would need this too; it wasn’t just Jack. So the brunet thought back to when he was in the other’s arms, wanting to do what Anti had done for him, and remembered the light touches the other had. He then carefully lifted one of his hands and began to comb his fingers through the other’s hair slowly. It was still a little damp from the shower, not as fluffy as usual, but Jack liked seeing how it laid neatly to the side, easy to move with his hand.

Anti did move his head slightly, almost as if he wanted to move closer, and the brunet continued his gentle movements. The television played softly in the background, giving the brunet something to think about as he closed his eyes, but his mind began to wander. Anti…

When they were at the park that night, when soulmates were brought up… Jack remembers was Anti said about his.

_’They don’t want me.’_

It came to mind this morning, Jack wondering about it for a bit, but he thinks he understands now. Anti believed that his soulmate… that Jack… wouldn’t want him, before they even knew each other. He didn’t believe someone would. And maybe that’s what had happened with the scar too.

Jack looked down at the other laying over him, watching him for a bit, wondering if he fell asleep. The brunet was still trying to understand a lot of things, still piecing things together, but there was one thing he knew for sure.

He wants to be with Anti.

And he’ll do whatever he can to show it, to let Anti know he cares, starting with laying on the couch as the other’s pillow for as long as he needs to.

It was about an hour later, the recording had ended and the television defaulted back to the last channel it was on, and Jack guessed for sure that Anti had fallen asleep. One of his arms that was resting on the brunet’s chest had slid down, almost falling over the side of the couch, and Jack was listening to his soft breathing for a while. 

Jack did eye the blanket he had lying over the back of the couch, but he wouldn’t be able to grab it and lay it over them correctly without moving and most likely waking up the other. So instead, he turned his head to the television, not wanting to fall asleep just yet. He wanted to stay awake, holding the other in his arms, as he felt like he was protecting the other. Protecting him from what, he didn’t know, but he would keep him safe.

Eventually he heard a grumble and looked down, seeing Anti tilt his head up as he blinked open his eyes. His eyes looked so gentle when he first wakes up, the brunet noticing it this morning as well, with soft shades of green. They just looked at each other for a long moment, Jack watching Anti slowly wake up.

“I like your eyes.” Anti then murmured quietly.

Jack was surprised, almost letting out a small chuckle about how he was thinking the same thing.

“’s pretty.” The other added.

Jack thought about arguing with him, saying that Anti’s were better, but decided to accept the compliment as he ran his fingers through the almost-completely-dry-now hair. He murmured about lunch, shrugging as he mentioned they could warm up the two waffles they had left, and Anti nodded against his chest. They slowly sat up, Anti leaning back against the couch still as Jack walked over to the kitchen to get their food. He called out to ask about chocolate chips, hearing an affirmative hum in response, and sprinkled the chocolate over the two waffles once they were out of the microwave to let them melt over the tops.

They ate on the couch again, Jack finishing first, and he looked over at Anti who was quietly watching the screen. His hair was starting to wave out more now that it was dry, but it gave the brunet an idea as he left the room for a moment. He told the other man to sit on the floor when he returned, Anti giving him a confused look before doing so, still eating his waffle. Then Jack sat on the couch behind him, crossing his legs, and started brushing the other’s hair properly with a hairbrush. Anti had paused for a moment as the brunet continued, but he soon leaned back a bit and picked up his fork to continue eating again. Jack brought a few clips as well, picking up the silver leaf clip Anti had set on the counter in the bathroom when he had taken a shower, and would pin Anti’s hair back as he brushed through everything. He was going slower on purpose, going through the same sections of hair, but there was something nice doing this. It didn’t seem like Anti minded either, Jack wondering if he could doze off again if he hadn’t already slept.

He ended up putting Anti’s hair in a small ponytail, clipping back what didn’t stay, and pat the top of the other’s head lightly when he was done. Anti leaned his head back at that, bumping the brunet’s legs as he looked up. Jack booped the other’s nose, chuckling lightly, and Anti reached a hand up to grab it, folding their hands together.

“Don’t cut your hair.” Jack said, hands swaying lightly where they rested on the brunet’s knee.

“Wasn’t planning on it.” The other hummed back and Jack smiled.

“Good.”

After cleaning up their plates and turning off the television, Jack let Anti look around the rest of the apartment. They stopped in the spare room that the brunet used as an office when they saw the bookshelf. Anti sat down on his heels, picking a book as he slid it out and looked over the cover, and the brunet sat down next to him. They’d look at each title, Anti pulling out some as he raised an eyebrow at them, for others nodding in approval. There was a mixture of fictions; fantasy, adventure, sci-fi, and the green-haired man smiled at a lot of them.

By dinner, they shared another meal at the table. Jack got out another set of pajamas afterwards, leaving a pair for Anti on the bed, then stepped into the bathroom for a shower himself. When he got out and dressed, he found Anti sitting back against the headboard, only the nightstand light on with one of the brunet’s books open in hand. Jack walked over and laid down on the other side of the bed.

“Haven’t read that one before?” He asked, grabbing a pillow as he laid his head down.

“No, but I’ve heard about it.”

“The ending… it catches you off guard.”

Anti hummed and the brunet asked where he was at so far. It was still the first chapter, but as he read Anti would comment about scenes and characters. It was like they were at the park again, sitting together as the green-haired man read and Jack listened. Here it felt… safer. Closer.

Jack didn’t know when he fell asleep. He opened his eyes to find it was morning, laying on his side as he was facing Anti, the other doing the same while still asleep. The other’s green hair was covering his face, messy from sleep, and the brunet smiled as he carefully reached a hand out, tracing the other’s forehead lightly as he moved the hair up. Anti opened his eyes slowly at that, sleepily focusing on the brunet, and Jack made a soft giggle before he moved his hand away, green hair falling over the other’s face abruptly. Anti let out a puff of air then, trying to get it out of his face, and when that didn’t work he held it back with his hand.

And there they were again, staring into each other’s eyes as they slowly woke up, calm and quiet. Jack felt that warmth in his chest again, thoughts of waking up next to the other making him smile. It was a simple thing, yet he wanted to always remember the dozy look the other had as he first woke up, how he returned the soft smile the brunet gave him.

Jack got out of bed first, starting a cup of coffee, and Anti soon followed as he adjusted his hair into a loose ponytail. Jack handed him the cup once it was done, making another for himself, and the two of them stood against the counter as they talked quietly. Then after a simple bowl of cereal for breakfast, the brunet had walked back to the bedroom to change, only pausing when he saw Anti’s old clothes sitting on his dresser as a reminder that he needed to wash them for the other. Anti had spent the night over twice now, having to borrow the brunet’s clothes since he got here. Jack pursed his lips as he walked back to the living room where the other was sitting on the couch and lowly hugged his arms in front of himself as he mentioned it to the green-haired man. Neither of them had prepared for this and the brunet was sure the other would like the comfort of his own clothes, but he’d have to leave for that. Jack wasn’t ready, though; they can’t be apart yet, not yet, not before they figured things out.

“We can drive over to my place if you’d like.”

Jack was quiet for a moment, eyes widening slightly at the thought. It hadn’t crossed his mind to go over to the other man’s house. He wasn’t even sure where it was but… now Anti invited him over. He nodded, a smile growing on his lips, and he returned to his bedroom to grab a small bag from the closet to bring some clothes along. He picked up a few things from the bathroom as well, tossing a toothbrush into a plastic bag, and carried it back out to the living room. Anti saw the bag and raised an eyebrow before chuckling.

“You want to go already?”

Jack felt his cheeks heat up, embarrassed after realizing he was a bit more eager to leave than he thought, but Anti smiled as he stood up. Jack had changed into one of his sweaters while the other just put on one of the brunet’s jackets to cover the pajamas. They walked out to the car together but this time Anti sat behind the wheel, the brunet sitting in the passenger side with his bag on his lap.

Jack watched as buildings passed while the other drove, recognizing the park when they reached it, though they didn’t stay for long. They slowed down once they reached the houses beyond the park, the green-haired man taking a few turns, then finally stopped as he pulled up to a driveway. Although it still took them a few minutes to reach this place after the park, Jack found that Anti lives closer to it, understanding now that it was easier for him to walk there than it was for the brunet.

Once they got out of the car, Jack took a moment to look at the other’s house. It was one story painted a dark color, nothing standing out above anything else, with dark green leaves of shrubbery lining the walls and under a window. There were a few smaller plants following the sidewalk that led up to the front door as they walked along it, and Jack saw a small stone frog sitting in the corner by the door.

Anti unlocked the door and led the way inside, Jack following closely as the two of them took off their shoes, but the other then stopped, turning to the brunet, and Jack realized it was an invitation to look around the house himself. The first room they were standing in now was in the middle of the house, wide with a clear view of the windows to the backyard, and there were two doorways to the right and one on the left. There was a dining table in the back of the room, set in a nook in the right corner, and a few shelves and side tables against the walls held a few small decorations and pictures.

Entering the first doorway to the right led to the living room. There was a three seat couch against the farthest wall on the right, two side tables on either end, and an armchair in the corner closer to him. On the opposite wall separating the living room from the first room held a large tv, a tv stand under it that had a few devices and a mixture of dvd and video game cases laying on the top. Going further back led to the kitchen, a bar counter separating the two rooms, with light countertops and cupboards surrounding the room. It looked a lot nicer than what Jack’s apartment had; it had a lot more space too, and the brunet imagined for a moment what it would be like to cook together there. The second doorway by the kitchen led through the dining nook back to the middle room, next to the backyard door as well, and Jack finally looked out the windows there to see the yard. There were trees lining against the fence and the brunet smiled at the patio that had two cushioned lounge chairs under the overhang. So far everything seemed cozy, simple but giving the brunet that comforting feeling of… home. It kind of reminded him of the warm atmosphere of the café, though missing the smell of coffee.

Jack continued on to the next doorway to the left of the house where it turned into a hallway. There was an open door that showed the bathroom, the two of them passing by it, then stopped at another open door right as the hallway turned to a corner. Jack did look down the hall, seeing two more closed doors, but stepped into the open room. There was a large canopy bed against the wall in the middle of the room, though there wasn’t any cloth on the posts, with a white comforter decorated with designs of grey branches. The rest of the room followed the light colors, a wooden dresser and desk against another wall with some little decorations, darker grey curtains draping over a window, a small painting of blue hydrangeas hanging near it, and when Jack turned his head he found the closet door. He opened it without a second thought, looking up at the clothes hanging in front of him, and chuckled to himself.

“So you _do_ own other shirts.” The brunet teased, looking back at the other, but Anti simply looked amused, a small smile on his face.

Then, of course, there were plenty of turtlenecks hanging up as well. Jack closed the door after poking through some of the shirts, complimenting the fact that there were other colors besides black in there, and turned back to face the room once more. He eyed the bed again, seeing that it was neatly made, three pillows resting on the top. It looked soft and the brunet walked up to it only to flop down onto the mattress, laying on his stomach with his arms out. He did it as a joke but… he realized now the bed looked soft because it _is_ soft. He rolled over, closing his eyes with a sigh as he eased into the blanket, and rolled over again as his face pressed into a pillow. He mumbled into it, voice muffled and hardly coherent, and turned his head just enough to murmur that he wasn’t going to move from the bed now. He heard a soft chuckle, watching as Anti walked around the bed to the window, and he sat up a bit as Anti closed the curtains all the way, room getting darker. The other then walked back to the bed, kneeling down by the headboard, and then there was a click as the room lit up gently above the brunet’s head.

It wasn’t too bright and Jack turned around to sit upright and see what it was, lips parting as he gazed at the sight. All around the canopy frame over the bed were golden strings of fairy lights, some dipping slightly to make small loops, that glowed softly overhead. Jack hadn’t noticed they were there when he first entered the room, but now he was staring at them without knowing what to say. They were beautiful, reminding him of the fireflies the two of them saw at the park during the first night they were there together. There was a dip in the bed as the other sat next to him, Jack looking at him for a moment to see his warm expression, then the brunet fell back against the bed as he continued to stare up at the lights.

“Well, I’m moving in now.” Jack said, chuckling as he thought about it.

He had said it with a lighthearted tone, knowing it would take a lot more planning for that to happen while he also had his own apartment he still had another month paid for, but Anti smiled in response. The green-haired man then moved to lie down as well but shifted to lean over the brunet, placing an arm on either side of the brunet’s head, and the two of them looked into each other’s eyes under the gentle light for a moment before Anti leaned down to place a kiss against the other’s nose.

“I would like that.” Anti said softly, the brunet’s cheeks turning a light color below him.

Anti rolled to the side after that, resting his head against the other pillow as he faced the brunet, and Jack looked at him with wide eyes. The blankets were soft underneath him, lights giving off a peaceful glow, and the pillows had Anti’s familiar scent on them, giving the brunet a comforting feeling. Anti reached a hand out to brush the brunet’s cheek, thumb rubbing under his eye, and Jack hummed lightly. To wake up with the other like this; Jack knew it would make him happy. So… it was time to figure things out. He took a small breath, feeling as Anti’s hand tucked some hair behind his ear, and spoke up quietly.

“Are we together?”

Anti’s hand then stilled, Jack noticing his eyebrows lower slightly as he took in the question, then he moved his hand back.

“Do you want to be?” Anti had asked, but Jack could see the insecurity in his eyes, his earlier relaxed expression gone, and it made the brunet’s heart ache.

Jack quickly grabbed the other’s hand, linking their fingers together as he brought it back over to his cheek.

“I do.” Jack said, leaning into their hands. “As long as you’ll have me.”

At that, Anti leaned forward, pressing their foreheads together as his hand slid around to hold the back of the brunet’s head.

“I’ll always want you.”

Jack chuckled softly, feeling a small tear in the corner of his eye, and their noses brushed.

“You know.” Jack started lightly. “When I texted you to meet at the park that morning… I was actually going to ask if you wanted to go out… and go on a date maybe.” He huffed then. “An official date, you know, since we’ve already done lots of things that could already be considered a date. We’ve certainly met for coffee plenty of times.” He felt himself start to ramble a bit, voice tapering off, and Anti had leaned back to look at him with wonder in his eyes, shining with that curiosity.

Jack looked to the side, another quiet puff of air leaving his lips, but he smiled lightly.

“I’m glad that it’s you.” Jack murmured, glancing up just in time to see Anti move to press their lips together, kissing him slowly.

Jack sighed into it, smiling against the other’s lips, and he closed his eyes. Anti felt warm against him, their lips only parting for a second before the other would press forward once more. When they finally did pause, taking a moment as they shared their breaths, Anti continued to hold him close.

“You’re cute.” The green-haired man hummed, placing another light kiss on the corner of the brunet’s lips.

“So I’ve heard.” Jack replied with a small giggle, moving his hand that was holding the other’s wrist down to cup the other’s cheek instead.

They laid together as more quiet moments passed, breathing slowly, and fingers would occasionally brush against skin or comb through hair. Jack could feel himself dozing off, eyes staying closed longer after each blink. He knew these past few days the only thing the two of them have really done was rest at his apartment, either sleeping in bed or laying on the couch, but he wasn’t upset, rather quite the opposite. This was the most comfortable he’s felt in a long time, the lingering worries that would trouble his mind no longer bothering him. He found Anti and they’re both going to be okay.

He heard as Anti murmured something about lunch to him, though he only hummed in response as he buried his head further into the pillow. His eyes closed again, this time staying closed as he breathed in the scent from the pillow.

“I really don’t want to move from this bed, though.” He mumbled and heard an amused huff from the other.

“I can live with that.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all so much for being patient with this chapter! However, there's still one chapter left and I only just finished writing ch 3 yesterday; I have a lot of writing ahead of me. So, there's a chance I'll be late on ch 4 as well, but I'll be doing my best! Thank you again for being patient, you are welcome to ask how it's going on tumblr or just visit to say hi! I did finish a [drawing](https://galaxykitty42.tumblr.com/post/189614203705/its-finally-done-ive-still-been) for this story too that I posted there! As always, I'd love to hear what you guys think of the story so far too!


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The final chapter! Thank you all for being patient and I hope you enjoy it!!

Jack returned to his apartment the next day. The two of them continued to text one another, Anti now sending cute messages that would make the brunet smile, and they would visit each other often. When Anti would show up at Jack’s door, the brunet would let him in and wrap arms around the other’s shoulders, the two of them leaning forward to greet each other with a short kiss. Anti would usually then pick up a book from the Jack’s small bookshelf, something he hadn’t read before, and read at the apartment. Sometimes the two of them would be laying together on the bed, other times Anti would be in the living room while Jack was watching tv or preparing something in the kitchen. Jack had told him he could take the books home so he could continue reading there, but the green-haired man would shake his head and leave the book when he went home, continuing where he left off when he returned to the apartment.

When Jack went over to Anti’s house, they would watch movies together on the couch, the brunet always mentioning how Anti had a nicer tv. Jack would lay against Anti’s chest, the other wrapping an arm around him as they relaxed against the cushions. When they would prepare something to eat, Jack would jokingly spin around the other in the kitchen, calling it part of a mansion. Anti would make a sound between a laugh and a scoff, saying his house was anything but, yet Jack could tell he was happy the brunet liked his home.

And that’s how they would spend their days together, calm and steady. The two of them had talked and agreed not to rush, that it would be okay for them to take things one step at a time and not to feel pressured into anything because they’re soulmates. Though every time Jack thought of it he couldn’t help the small sense of happiness he’d feel, wanting to snuggle a little closer to the other if they were together or place a light kiss against his cheek.

When Jack had to get work done, he would spend the time by himself in his apartment. It was mostly because the brunet claimed that Anti was a distraction, saying he couldn’t pay attention to his work with the other around. Anti would simply raise an eyebrow at him with a hum and slight upturn of his lips whenever he said that. So Jack would stay at home with his laptop, using the desk in the spare bedroom like he had done before he started going to the café all those months ago.

With a smile, though, Jack could say things were going well between them. He was happy with where they were at.

He has noticed that his stuff has slowly started to migrate over to Anti’s house as well. It was subtle at first, only a few things like an extra set of clothes, a spare charging cable for his laptop, one day he brought over the silly waffle maker and never bothered to bring it back when he drove home. It was when he was looking for a specific sweater that he started to realize, having spent a good portion of the day looking for it, that that among other things were nowhere to be found at the apartment. He was on his knees looking under the bed when he finally sighed as he let the blanket fall back down. He sent a text to Anti, asking the other if he’s seen it, and went to check his closet once more. He got a reply only a few minutes later to see that Anti had sent a picture of the sweater hanging up in the green-haired man’s own closet. Jack huffed, about to close the picture, but then paused when he noticed another one of his shirts there, then another, and his nice button up too. He remembered wearing that on one of their dates, it was his go-to nice outfit, then hummed to himself as he remembered the two of them returning to Anti’s house to immediately change into pajamas and stay up to watch movies together.

So maybe he was slowly starting to move in with Anti. Unintentionally. But still.

He wasn’t sure if Anti was starting to notice. Of course he knew there were a few things over, having sent the picture of Jack’s sweater in his closet and all, but the brunet didn’t know if he was starting to realize there was a slowly-growing collection of Jack’s stuff from the apartment now there.

That is, until one of their evenings at Anti’s house after visiting the ducks at the pond. Jack was laying on the living room floor, feet propped up against the couch as he waited for the other to make popcorn. They had a new comedy show in line to watch, Jack saying they were going to judge if it was worthy of calling itself a comedy, and Anti had stood next to him as he looked down at the brunet on the floor. He asked Jack to sit up for a moment, the brunet pursing his lips as he looked up at the other who appeared upside down to him.

“Hmm… you have your serious look on your face and I don’t think we’ll be able to judge a comedy show correctly if we’re serious.” Jack hummed.

Anti knit his eyebrows together at that, frowning lightly.

“I don’t have a serious look.”

“But you do. I know you, and I know those looks you get.” Jack started, huffing as he slowly sat upright and motioned for the other to sit down so they could be eye level. “And I know this look you get when you have something important to say but you’re worried about how I’ll react, to which I tell you every time you have nothing to worry about.” Anti was sitting now and the brunet reached forward to cup his cheeks and place a soft kiss on his lips before then patting his cheeks playfully. “So tell me, did you accidentally run over my bike in the driveway? Because if you did then we have a real problem on our hands because I don’t own a bike.”

That got the green-haired man to puff out a laugh, his worried look slowly easing away, and he swatted Jack’s hands away from his cheeks as he finally grabbed something out from his pocket.

“I want to give you this.”

Jack looked down, watching as Anti turned his palm up and revealed a key, blinking for a moment, then finally realized it was a house key. It was a spare key to Anti’s home. Jack’s lips parted to whisper a quiet “oh”, surprised. A spare key is a symbol, isn’t it? To show their relationship is progressing?

He carefully took the key and looked up at the other softly.

“Of course I’ll take it.” He said, chuckling at the warm feeling the key in hand brought, and Anti smiled back at him. The green-haired man then leaned in to kiss the brunet once more before placing a hand on his knee to get up and finally start making the popcorn for their show, leaving the brunet to continue looking at the key with a happy giggle.

When he next returned to his apartment, Jack smiled at sound of the new key clinking with the others as he set it on the stand next to the door.

They still checked in with each other before visiting and Jack hadn’t actually used the key for a while as Anti would have the door unlocked for him. That didn’t change the fact that the brunet adored having it. And then he finally came to an idea.

Jack really only had one toothbrush; sure he had some extras still in their packaging in one of his drawers at the apartment, but he only had the one in the cup on the counter. He had finished brushing his teeth one night, the brush clinging softly as it was placed back into the cup, when he paused to look at it. He thought about taking it over to Anti’s house, how he could place it in the other’s bathroom and leave it there. It’s a symbol, isn’t it?

So maybe Jack had read one too many love stories, but those had to come from somewhere, right?

He wanted to surprise the other with it, to see if it was something Anti would notice, so the next day he drove over without letting the other know, toothbrush in his bag. He was looking forward to it, chuckling to himself when he reached the other’s house, but he noticed Anti’s car wasn’t in the driveway. He had a garage and sometimes he did park his car there, but most of the time it would sit in the right space of the driveway that was now empty. Jack parked his car on the left, glancing at the garage for a moment though he couldn’t see through it anyway, and made his way up to the door. He tried to open it and heard it knock against the lock. Jack hummed to himself, light surprise showing on his face, and he pulled out his keys to finally use the one he was given.

It was quiet, the lights off and rooms dark aside from the windows casting in light. Jack called out Anti’s name, questioning if he was here, but when there was no reply, he found he was alone. 

It was odd. This was the first time he was alone at Anti’s house. There were times when he spent the night and woke up before the other, having a moment where he was in the living room by himself, but Anti was still in the house. Now he really was by himself.

He took off his shoes and placed his bag by the door, taking out his toothbrush, and he made his way to the bathroom. On the counter in the corner was the ceramic cup that held Anti’s own toothbrush, resting there alone, and the brunet gently placed his next to it before leaning his elbows on the counter to look at it. It was simple, but it made him happy.

Then he turned his head to the side, looking at the rest of the room. Of all the times he’s been in the bathroom, he’s never really looked around in it. His eyes first went to the bathtub, combined with a shower like his apartment, but as he always points out with the rest Anti’s house, it was bigger than the one he had. He kneeled down next to the tub’s edge, reaching out to grab one of the shampoo bottles resting on it, and idly read the labels. He was curious if one of these had a trace of that light lavender scent the other had. There was another bottle of a different brand for colored hair, body wash, then he paused at a clear bottle that was almost completely full. It was a bottle of bubble bath. He opened the lid, seeing the seal was broken so it had to be opened at least once, but it looked relatively unused.

Jack huffed at that, thinking about the times he wanted to relax in a bath but didn’t have comfortable space for it. Anti was taking this opportunity for granted. The brunet held the bottle in his hand, tapping the side with his finger for a moment as he glanced back at the tub. Now that he had the idea in his head, a warm bath sounded nice.

He didn’t need much more convincing than that as he reached over to turn on the faucet, waiting until the water heated up before plugging the drain as the tub filled. When it was about half way, he picked up the bubble bath and poured in a bit, watching as small bubbles began to form on the water. He pursed his lips, humming to himself. Should he? Yes, he should, and he tipped the bottle again as more of the soapy bubbles built up on the surface. He made sure not to overdo it to the point of overflowing, not wanting to ruin anything in the green-haired man’s bathroom, but as he undressed and stepped into the tub once it was ready, he sunk into the warm water with a pleased sigh as the bubbles hid his body under the water.

Jack closed his eyes as he leaned back, letting his muscles relax under the warmth as he kept the upper half of his face just above the water. He doesn’t remember the last time he had taken a bath before, always using the shower in his apartment instead, and he was happy to have the time now. It would be so nice to doze off like this, surrounded by the warmth of the water, but he knew he’d inevitably get water in his nose if he tried. So instead he let his mind wander, content as he hummed simple tunes to himself, watching the water ripple as he moved. He dipped his head back into the water for a moment as he washed his hair, another happy hum as he ran a hand through the strands.

Yeah, he could stay in here for a while.

Then he heard the distant rumble of the front door being unlocked.

Jack was startled by it, sitting up as he heard the door open and close, a moment of silence.

“Jack?”

It was Anti, having returned home, and the brunet stared at the bathroom door he left open. He had a moment of alarm telling him to get up and close it, though he quickly turned the thought down as to not get water all over the floor, and sunk back into the tub, eyes and flattened down brown hair peeking out among the bubbles. He waited, trying to listen as Anti moved around the house, then heard light footsteps coming down the hallway.

“Jack?” The other called out once more and Jack saw him walk past the door, turning his head on instinct to look into the room, and pause when he saw the brunet in there.

Anti looked surprised, momentarily standing still as his eyebrows raised slightly, but his expression quickly softened. He stepped into the room, Jack watching him with wide eyes, and he sat down on the floor next to the tub, arms folded against the edge, and leaned his head against them.

“Hey.” Anti said with a small smile, tone light, and Jack chuckled quietly.

“Hey.”

“How are you feeling?”

“Warm.” Jack said, swaying a bit in the water to emphasize his point as the bubbles followed the slight waves.

“I can see that.”

They talked quietly and though Anti obviously wasn’t expecting to see the other in the bath, he didn’t look to be bothered by it at all. Like it was something normal to come home to. Either way, though, Jack still felt a little guilty to have walked into his home without telling him only to then help himself to a bubble filled bath.

“Sorry to walk into your house like this.” He murmured softly, leaning his head against the corner of the tub near the other.

But then Anti gave him such a warm look, looking at ease as he spoke.

“I didn’t realize how happy it would make me to come home and see your car already in the driveway.”

It was Jack’s turn to be momentarily stunned, blinking with owlish eyes, then he made an aweing sound. He held himself back from reaching a hand out, knowing water would drip onto the floor, and instead bumped his forehead against the other. A few bubbles got onto the other’s hair where they touched, the brunet giggling at it, and Anti let out a puff of air as he shook his head lightly. He stood up shortly afterwards, Jack wondering if he was leaving the brunet to himself for the rest of the bath, but he came back with a clear glass, a champagne flute, that held a bubbling light golden liquid. Anti set it down on the tub’s edge with a gentle clink and Jack sat himself up a bit as he eyed the cup. He picked it up with a careful hand, tilting it towards him as he looked over the glass brim, then hummed inquisitively at the other.

“Champagne? You getting me to drink?” The brunet asked, teasing, but the other shook his head.

“Sparkling cider. Apple.”

Jack looked back at the glass curiously and decided to take a sip, bringing the glass up to his lips, and yeah, it was sparkling cider. They talked for a moment more before Anti stood up to leave, saying he would leave the brunet be while he got himself something to eat. Jack asked him to bring back something to wear before he did so and Anti came back with a clean set of Jack’s clothes, placing them on the closed toilet lid, then left once more.

It didn’t take long for Jack to finish his drink, placing the glass on the opposite end of the tub once it was empty just to make sure he didn’t accidentally knock it over later. When the water finally started to cool, Jack unplugged the drain and stood up as water dripped off of his body. He reached a hand out to grab a towel from a rack on the wall, not wanting to step onto the floor just yet, and started to dry himself off as the last of the water slipped down the drain. He made sure to wipe off any bubbles that were left on his skin, ruffling his hair with the towel as well, and finally stepped over the tub’s edge to get dressed. Boxers went on first, t-shirt next, and Jack smirked lightly as he saw that Anti had brought stuff he’d wear to sleep which meant he’d guessed Jack was going to stay over. The brunet did pick up the pair of sweats, considering them for a brief moment, but decided to leave them be as he ran a towel over his hair once more before walking out of the room.

He found Anti in the living room watching a show, empty plate sitting on the side table next to the couch. He was focused on the show, though he did murmur a quiet greeting as the brunet stepped into the room. Jack sat down on the other side of the couch at first to watch a few minutes of whatever show was on. He didn’t recognize it and decided to then lay his head down, resting on one of the pillows. A few more minutes passed and he started to stretch out on the couch, feet accidentally bumping the side of Anti’s leg, but then decided to lay them over Anti’s lap as he rolled onto his stomach and closed his eyes. The green-haired man swatted at his feet, hitting his heels lightly, but there was barely any force behind it. Jack chuckled against the pillow as the other poked at his toes, swaying his feet a bit, until Anti lightly picked up the foot closest to him. Jack turned his head slightly, trying to see behind him, then felt as the other pressed his thumbs into the ball of his foot. He made a questioning hum, but realized Anti had started to give him a massage and he made another softer hum as he rested his head back down.

Anti’s hands traveled slowly down his foot, thumbs pressing against the muscle of the arch, then the heel. He seemed to still be paying attention to the show that was on, but that didn’t appear to hinder his capabilities as he switched to massage the brunet’s other foot.

Jack was happy, eyes closed as he lay slack against the couch. He hadn’t intended for the other to start doing this, but he definitely appreciated it now. He guessed it would stop there once Anti set his other foot down, but then Anti switched legs again and began to rub his lower calf. He continued like before, going slow but thoroughly kneading each muscle, and switched between legs back and forth as he traveled upwards. The brunet distantly heard the tv change to a different show, though he was hardly paying attention to anything that was going on around him, then felt as Anti shuffled next to him, shifting his weight as one knee was against Jack’s hip while the other went over the side to hold himself up from the ground.

Then Anti put his hands on Jack’s lower back, slipping under the shirt, and pressed down with the heels of his palms, causing the brunet to let out another low groan. Jack could feel himself slowly turn to jelly as it continued, his throat making little sounds as the other eased the tension across his back. He definitely needed to do something to return the favor.

Once Anti finished with his shoulders, his shirt was tucked up by his neck and he looked almost dead to the world. Anti asked him a question, though he only replied with a low hum, mind not even sure what was said. Then he felt a kiss between his shoulder blades, blinking his eyes open as he started to wake up enough to turn himself around on the couch. Anti shifted above him to give him room to move and the brunet drowsily threw his arms around the other’s shoulders, pulling himself up to kiss the other properly. Anti moved them again, sitting them both up with the brunet on his lap, and wrapped his arms just above the brunet’s hips. Their lips met again, soft touches against one another, until the brunet stuck his tongue out to lick along the other’s bottom lip, Anti parting them shortly after.

The green-haired man tasted like a faint memory of sweets, like a mellow candy Jack used to know when he was younger. He hummed into the other’s mouth, their lips parting as a warm puff of air brushed against their faces before they returned to another kiss. Jack had his eyes closed, and when they parted once more, his head started to lean to the side, brushing their cheeks together for a moment before he tucked his head under Anti’s chin. Anti took the chance to lay them down once more, this time with Anti on his back and Jack laying half over him so they could fit on the couch.

Jack proceeded to then rest his head on the other’s shoulder, a content hum low in his throat. His right arm was almost stuck between himself and the couch, but he lifted his left hand to slide it under the green-haired man’s shirt, fingers tracing over his stomach lightly. He flattened his palm against the other, the skin warm under his hand, and slowly moved it upwards as his thumb brushed over a nipple. He tilted his head up to see the other, owlish green eyes blinking back at him, and he gave the other a sleepy smile as he closed his eyes once more, still feeling warm and fuzzy from the massage.

He fell asleep within minutes, sounds from the tv fading away as he dozed off.

Jack dreamed of warm breaths and soft moans, of skin pressed against skin as hands explored, leading them to become closer, _closer_.

He wakes up with blushing cheeks, going still as he realized what his dream was about. He let out a quiet breath, looking to the side to see it was darker now, though he didn’t know how long he had slept. He tilted his head up to see if Anti was asleep but instead saw the green-haired man watching him with pupils wide, and that’s when he realized he was hard, laying over the other, and he could feel that Anti was too, their hips pressed together.

The brunet didn’t move, feeling embarrassment turn the tips of his ears red, but he also doesn’t know what he’s supposed to do in this situation.

Then, slowly, Anti reached a hand to his cheek, fingers gently cupping the side of his face, and leaned him over to press a kiss to his lips lightly. Jack blinked, their gaze not straying from one another. They were quiet, but the brunet took the kiss as an unspoken reassurance, an okay, and hesitantly rolled his hips down against the other. They both made a quiet noise, a closed-lip moan, and the brunet grew a little more confident as he rolled his hips down once more. Anti slid his hand back then to hold behind Jack’s head, pulling them together for another kiss and nipped at the brunet’s bottom lip. Sighs and louder hums escaped as they parted their lips to deepen the kiss, and as the brunet moved to press down again, Anti lifted his own hips up to meet him.

Jack let out a gasp against the other’s mouth, breaking apart only for a moment as their eyes grew darker, and the previous hesitance they had before was now gone. Another kiss, their tongues brushing together, and Jack started to shift his position on the couch to lay straight over the other man, knees on either side of him. They started to grind their hips together, feeling each other through the thin fabric they wore, and Jack was very happy he decided to skip the pants after his bath. Anti was still wearing his, though, and Jack could feel the two of them starting to grow needy, to want more as they pushed against each other harder.

The brunet felt a hand brush against his hipbone then, fingertips cooler than the heat that was starting to grow in his stomach, and it slowly slid under the band of his boxers. Jack didn’t stop him, so the other began to push the garment down to his thighs, freeing the brunet’s cock, then Anti lifted his own hips up to do the same to himself. Jack gasped as skin was pressed against skin, feeling the other hot and hard against him, both of them already starting to leak from the tip.

Anti continued carefully, though, going slowly as he wrapped a hand around their two lengths. Jack broke their kiss again at that, ducking his head as he pressed his forehead against the other’s shoulder, a shudder running through him as he mewled. He could feel as precome began to drip down their cocks, the other’s hand using it to make the slide easier, and Jack finally reached one of his own hands down between the two of them as well. He took the two of them in hand, the side that Anti couldn’t reach, and they thrusted their hips together. He mewled out again, mouth left open as he panted against the other’s shoulder, and more precome slickened their shafts as they thrusted into their hands again and again. They started to speed up, getting rougher as they searched for release, and Jack could hear the other grunting beside him.

Then Anti moved his hand upwards, leaving Jack’s hand towards the base as his moved to press the heads of their cocks together and squeeze, earning a keen from the brunet as his hips stuttered. He called out Anti’s name in a high pitched whine, thrusts starting to get desperate as they were hot against each other. Jack could feel himself getting close, trying to move with his hand while they were also pressed so closely together. It was good, it felt so right to him, then Anti’s thumb slid over the tip, a spark running through him, and he bit back a swear as he thrusted once, twice, and came between their stomachs as his back curled.

Anti gasped and his hand that was holding the brunet’s hair tugged to pull the other up, capturing the other’s lips in a fervent kiss. Though his mind was starting to get hazy from his release, Jack had enough thought to wrap his hand just around Anti, stroking him with a strong grip to help him reach his own release. Anti panted against his mouth, their foreheads bumping together, and Jack felt as the other tensed up before letting go, adding to the white mess between them.

Jack fell to Anti’s side, against the back of the couch once more, and they took deep breaths as they let their heartbeats calm down. The brunet let his clean hand trace Anti’s cheek, turning his head as they looked into each other’s half lidded eyes. He then glanced down, pursing his lips as he wiped his other hand off on the other’s already dirtied shirt. He made a comment about their shirts, too tired to actually move to do anything about it yet, and Anti let out a quiet chuckle.

“I guess we better take them off, then.”

Jack rolled his eyes at that, though a loose smile graced his lips, and he nuzzled his cheek against Anti’s shoulder with an affectionate hum. They stayed there until they felt their bodies begin to cool, breaths evening out, and Jack was about to make himself sit up before Anti murmured a question.

“Can I ask what you were dreaming about?”

Jack pushed himself up enough to lean over the other once more, placing a kiss against his lips that was characteristically light compared to what they had just done.

“Being closer to you.” He said as green eyes blinked back at him, then the other’s expression softened.

“I would like that.”

Jack smiled back at him, closing his eyes as he lightly brushed their noses together.

“Me too.”

They got up after that, heading to the bathroom together as they cleaned themselves up. Jack joked about needing another bath and Anti winked back at him as he offered to join him next time, the brunet throwing a wash rag at him. After they finished in there, they changed into fresh pairs of boxers in the bedroom, but didn’t end up putting anything else on as they laid together on the bed, wrapping their arms around one another as they held each other closely under the covers.

…

A few days later, Jack brought up the café, wanting to see Nate again. They hadn’t visited in a while now that the two of them meet at each other’s houses instead of there, and Jack was sure the raven-haired man was curious to know where they’ve been. They were at Anti’s house, midday as the sun shone throw the windows, and Jack was happily walking through the house, a spring in his step, as he talked about returning there today. He grabbed his scarf that was hanging by the front door, wrapping it around his neck and tossing the end over his shoulder before kicking his shoes over with his feet.

“We really should’ve traded numbers before I went and disappeared from the café like that.” The brunet said as he looked through his satchel, used to bringing it with him whenever he went outside. “He’s a cool guy, I’m sure I’ve said that before. You’ve heard us talking at the café before too, yeah?” He smiled. “Hey, maybe we could all hang out together one day, maybe go to the movies and he could bring his girlfriend too! I’ve never met her before but I’ve heard she’s really sweet.”

He looked up from his satchel to see what Anti thought, the green-haired man standing on the other side by the door, but his smile faded when he saw the troubled look on the other’s face. Anti was looking to the side, not meeting his eyes, and Jack remembers seeing that expression before.

“Hey.” The brunet said softly, stepping over to the other man as he tilted his head to try to see the other’s eyes. “What’s wrong? Do you not want to go there today?”

“No, the café is fine.” Anti said, turning his head as he spoke, and Jack could see the hesitance in his eyes.

It was almost like the serious look, but not quite.

“What is it then?” Jack continued.

Anti looked to the side again, eyebrows knitting together in thought for a moment, then he let out a quiet sigh as he looked back at the other.

“Are you sure you want… I mean, now that we’re… are you okay with…” His voice trailed off, not knowing what words to say and instead gestured vaguely to himself.

Jack frowned, not understanding at first, then his mind slowly started to put it together. It was about their relationship. Anti was worried about showing their relationship in public, or rather more specifically, Anti was worried _Jack_ didn’t want to show they’re together.

And Jack finally recognized the other’s insecurity. The brunet has noticed it before and he knew it would take time to heal, to mend that part of him that couldn’t be seen. Jack also knew the other responds to physical affection; there were times when the green-haired man would lay over the brunet’s chest without saying anything, times when he would bury his face in the crook of Jack’s neck when they laid in bed to sleep.

So Jack carefully brought his hands up to cup the other’s cheeks, turning his head lightly so they would face each other. He let one hand trace behind Anti’s ear, tucking away hair with light fingers, and stilled as it reached the start of the other’s jaw.

“Anti, my raindrop, look at me.” Jack started softly and green eyes darted up to meet his. “I am so unbelievably happy to call you mine. I want to be with you wherever I go.” He then leaned forward to kiss the other’s lips gently. “You are the one I get to be with, so let me show you off.”

Anti blinked, looking almost caught off guard, which Jack wasn’t expecting that to be his reaction, then the brunet noticed that curious look, eyes wide and wondrous. He missed that look.

“What?” Jack said, unable to hide a chuckle as the green-haired man continued to stare at him without saying anything.

“The name.” Anti answered back quietly.

Jack paused until realizing the other was referring to the nickname.

“Oh. Is that okay? I can change-“

Anti cut him off with another kiss.

“I like it.” He replied, and the two of them returned to an atmosphere of ease.

“I meant what I said though.” Jack spoke above a whisper as he slid his hands down, folding them behind Anti’s neck. “You’re my boyfriend and I’ll happily introduce you as such to anyone I know.”

Anti gave him a small smile, leaning his head down as their foreheads touched, and they stayed like that for a moment as they breathed calmly together.

“Thank you.” Anti murmured, arms wrapping around the brunet’s lower back, and Jack smiled lightly as he swayed side to side.

They finished preparing to leave after that, Anti grabbing his keys as they decided to take his car. The brunet’s face lit up when they finally made it to the café, eyes shining as he looked up at the sign advertising the store. Anti stepped up next to him, the two of them standing in front of the door, and Jack smiled as he took Anti’s hand in his and pushed the door open.

The bell jingled above them and the warm smell of coffee greeted them, memories flowing back to the brunet when he looked around the room at the tables. Nate was standing behind the counter, turned to the side as he was talking with the other barista. As Jack and Anti stepped up to the counter, the raven-haired man turned his head, paused when he recognized who they were, and a smile spread across his face.

“Well, look who it is!” The barista said brightly, eyes looking between the two of them.

“Hey.” Jack smiled back, leaning his head over lightly towards Anti.

The barista tapped the register’s screen, asking about their drinks and jokingly asked Jack if he had something new to order. When Nate glanced back up at them, that’s when he noticed them holding hands, looking again at how Jack was leaning towards the other and how they stood close together, both wearing their matching silver hair clips as well. Realization slowly shone in his eyes and he brought his hands in front of himself as his lips parted to form a small “oh”.

“Is this…” He said quietly, smile slowly growing wider. “Are you two?”

“Yep.” Jack answered with a soft chuckle, bringing their linked hands up to place a kiss against Anti’s knuckles to show it.

“Oh! I’m so happy for you two!” The barista said, putting his hands down as he looked at the register again. “You know what, give me a second.”

He stepped back for a moment as he grabbed a ceramic cup, turning around to then prepare a new drink. He had his back turned to the others, preventing them from seeing what he was doing, but he soon turned back around to slide the cup over on a small plate in front of them. There, they saw a latte decorated with a white foam heart and two straws sticking out from either side, looking silly.

“A love latte, on the house!” Nate then said cheerfully, putting his hands up to mimic jazz hands.

They then heard the other barista at the other end of the counter call back.

“No it’s not.” He had said, rolling his eyes, though there was a faint smile.

“Alright then, it’s on me!” Nate corrected then, not losing his enthusiasm.

Jack smiled as he picked up the plate with the cup, careful not to disturb the foam art as he carried it in his hands. The table in the corner was already taken, but Jack’s old spot was empty, so he led the way to his old table as he placed the latte in the middle of it. Anti sat down next to him, elbows propped up on the table, and the window next to them was lighting up the room. It was different from when the two of them sat in the corner, the two sharing a soft smile, and Nate soon stepped up to their table to continue talking with them. The raven-haired man urged for them to take a drink at the same time, saying that’s what the straws were intended for, and clapped his hands in front of himself when they finally gave in and did it. He sat down across from them afterwards, asking about how they’ve been, how long they’ve been together, and they caught up with one another. Jack did remember to ask for the barista’s number and Nate typed it into his phone with a smile, but the barista then reached his hand out for Anti to hand his phone over as well.

“Don’t think I’d leave you out.” Nate said with a goofy grin.

Anti looked surprised for a moment, but handed his phone over, glancing at the brunet when he did so. Jack gave him a warm look, then the three of them continued to talk, though Jack did most of the talking for the green-haired man as well.

The brunet brought up his idea of them all hanging out, Nate smiling widely once more.

“And Robin can come too!”

As Nate said that, they caught the other barista’s head pop up from behind the counter, eyebrows raised.

“I can what now?”

“Hang out with us!” Nate continued. “We can all see each other somewhere _other_ than the café when we’re _not_ working.

The other barista, Robin, stepped out from behind the counter and walked over to them.

“So you assume I want to see you outside of work.” He said, small smirk in the corner of his lips.

At that, Nate slumped back against his spot as though he’s been hit.

“Oh, how you wound me so.” He added, then turned to the others. “As you can see, we really need to get out of this box that is our workplace.”

Joking aside, it seemed like everyone was on board with the idea, all agreeing to find a day when they can all get together.

When Jack and Anti left, they walked back to their car in a peaceful quiet. Anti got into the driver’s side once more, Jack getting in a second later, and that’s when the brunet noticed him deep in thought.

“What’s on your mind?” He asked, and Anti looked out the window for a moment.

“It’s just… been a while since I’ve been with a group of friends.” He answered, then looked over at the brunet. “It’s nice.”

Jack let out an awe, feeling happy for the other, and he leaned over the center console to give him a kiss.

…

A few days later, Jack got called in to work to meet in person. He usually worked from home on his laptop, yes, but there were rare moments when they’d need to meet face to face when they got a particularly significant job or need to discuss important topics or problems.

He told that to Anti, letting him know he’d be gone for most of the day, then reluctantly drove to his apartment to pick up any written documents and files he might need before heading on his way to his work’s building.

It wasn’t as eventful as he thought it’d be. He sent a text to Anti, letting the other know he made it there safely, and met with some of the other people he worked with who were also called in, some who actually worked there in the building. He recognized some of them, remembering their faces from their emails’ profile pictures, and chuckled quietly to himself when he saw one person whose emails he had shown to Anti when talking about the ridiculous things people send him sometimes. The meeting started as they all sat around a large table, some laptops out as well, and there was a large screen at the front of the room. It definitely took longer than the brunet had wanted, feeling himself grow more bored as each minute passed. Anti texted him an hour into it, asking how it was going, and Jack replied with a text saying he wished he was back home.

He ended up having lunch there and didn’t return to his apartment until the afternoon. He was tired, wanting to drop off the documents so he could then return to Anti’s house. He slowly walked up the steps to the second story, pulling his keys out from his satchel, but he paused when he reached his door.

His potted plant was gone.

He almost didn’t believe it at first, because _who steals a plant_ , but it was, in fact, gone. He let out a disheartened sigh as he unlocked his door, not feeling like putting things away properly as he tossed the papers he carried onto the coffee table. He walked into his bedroom to grab an extra pair of pajamas, but didn’t stay any longer as he stepped out and locked the door. He looked at the spot where his plant once was, seeing the faint outline, and sadly made his way back to his car. He was going to miss it.

As he pulled up to Anti’s driveway, he thought about what to tell the other about his day, how the meeting was long and boring and someone stole his plant and now he just wants a nap. Then as he walked up to the house, reaching the door, he noticed a familiar flower pot in the corner with the small stone frog that was originally there by itself now sitting on it, green leaves over it like an umbrella.

He stared at it for another moment before he opened the door, Anti stepping out from the living room to greet him.

“My plant…” Jack said slowly, looking over as the other stood next to him, then smiled as he quirked an eyebrow. “I see, so you’re moving my stuff now?”

“You started it.” Anti said, tone just as light, and leaned in to kiss his forehead.

That night, when they were preparing for bed, Jack walked into the bathroom to brush his teeth first. He had finished washing his face, using a small washcloth to dry his cheeks, then as he picked up his toothbrush from the little cup in the corner, Anti had stepped into the door way, leaning his arm against the frame. Jack turned his head, seeing the green-haired man give him a knowing look, then glanced back at his toothbrush in hand before making a quiet “oh”.

So it seemed Anti did notice the toothbrush.

And Jack smiled.

…

As the days passed, Jack’s apartment was looking less and less like someone lived there, and by that, meaning there were less and less of the brunet’s belongings there. He still had his spare room filled with his files and notes for his job, but he found he started to like working at the other’s home more, sitting on the soft bed with the fairy lights on, though he still joked about the other man distracting him and wouldn’t let him into the bedroom when he was busy.

“How is this any different than when we were at the café together?” Anti had asked him before during one of the days he was working at his house.

“That was before I knew I could kiss you.”

“So… you’re saying you’d kiss me instead of work?”

“That should be obvious.” Jack replied with a chuckle, though the green-haired man just shrugged.

“That’d be fine with me.” He mumbled when Jack finally kicked him out of the room, closing the door behind him.

Whenever they brought up the idea of living together for real, Anti always said the same thing, saying he’d really like to have the brunet with him, and that he was happy when Jack was with him during the practice of sorts they were doing now.

“I want to too.” Jack said, the two of them sitting on the bed when they were talking. “I guess I’m just… nervous about giving up the apartment I guess? It’s where I’ve been living for a long time and it’s strange to think of it as gone.”

“I don’t want to make you move if you don’t want to.” Anti said softly, hand carding through the brunet’s hair.

“But… I like being with you, and you really do have a nice place. I’ve been thinking about it a lot…” He said, leaning into the other’s touch. “So… would you help me move the rest of my stuff over?”

A soft smile formed on Anti’s face and he nodded.

“Of course.”

Clothes was the easiest to start with, seeing as most of Jack’s clothes were already at the house. His other personal belongings wouldn’t be hard to move, they’d just need a few boxes. They then spent the first day looking through what of the rest they would take, and what they wouldn’t need. Anti already had furniture, a full kitchen of cookware, a neat dining room, so they wouldn’t need another set of everything.

“Definitely taking the tv.” Jack said. “And we can put that and the couch in the open room. Probably won’t need the dining table. Or the chairs. Do we need any dishes?”

Then they looked through his spare room, Anti saying they could move his desk into the second bedroom he had at the house. They turned to his small bookshelf, Jack suggesting they move that to the bedroom as well.

“Actually, I have a different spot in mind.” Anti responded, though didn’t say where.

They came back with boxes, packing away the easiest things first. They decided to turn the second bedroom at the house into Jack’s room, letting him keep all his personal things there, though the brunet fully intended on sleeping in Anti’s room still. They set his books in the boxes carefully, not wanting to bend any pages or covers, then once they had as much as they could move for the first trip, they drove back to the house.

Jack hadn’t been to the back rooms down the hallway before. He knew they were the spare bedrooms, but never went over there to check them out. His new room was simple, undecorated since no one stayed there before, until it slowly filled with Jack’s belongings. When the only things left in the boxes were his books, Anti picked them up and gestured for the brunet to follow him. He opened the door to the third room, expecting to see another simple bedroom, but instead he saw two desks with papers spread out on both of them and a laptop on one, notes and a scribbled unfamiliar map pinned to the wall, and a large bookshelf that held many other books along with notebooks and folders. There was no bed, the space instead being turned into an office, and it looked like there was a lot of work here, or at least a lot of sticky notes.

Anti set the box he was carrying down by the bookshelf, Jack following to do the same, and they kneeled down to add the brunet’s books to one of the lower shelves. Anti did tap some of his own books when they added one he already owned, showing they had two copies of a few stories now, but when they finished with that, the brunet stood up to stand in the middle of the softly lit room and look around.

“What is this room?” He asked, stepping over then to look up at the map hanging over one of the desks.

It looked hand drawn, sticky notes across it with names and notes, some underlined, some with question marks, some with numbers. Looking down at the table, there were loose papers spread out with more writing along with a notebook opened to some pencil-drawn doodles. His eyes scanned a few of the papers, reading a few lines from what he could see, but he didn’t recognize anything, nor did he remember seeing the scenery that was drawn on the open page of the notebook. Anti stepped up to him then, looking over the map himself, and he spoke softly.

“My work.”

Jack looked up at the map again, trying to recognize any part of it. Then he had a different idea.

“Is this from a story you’ve read?” The brunet asked, remembering other books he’s read that featured maps in the beginning pages.

“Something like that.”

Anti then turned and walked back to the bookcase, fingers brushing over a row of binders, then pulled out the one he was looking for as he opened the cover and looked over the first page. He handed it to the brunet and Jack looked over the first page as well, seeing a typed title along with some penciled in ones, then flipped to the next page to see what looked like the start of a story. He flipped through it more, seeing how long it would go on, and it looked like a complete work.

“I print them out when I’m done just to have a copy in case something goes wrong on my laptop.” Anti said and Jack looked up at him for a moment before returning to the first page.

He read through the first few sentences, pausing then.

“This is… this is _your_ story?” He asked, and the green-haired man nodded almost shyly.

Then the brunet smiled brightly.

“Anti! Why didn’t you ever tell me?” He looked back at the map, seeing the work that was put into it, realizing now it was for a world the other man created. “That’s amazing!”

“They’re not published works or anything; no one else has read them. They’re just… stories I like to create, something I like to do… it’s relaxing in a way.” He then turned back to the bookcase, fingers brushing a few smaller binders. “A lot of them are just silly little stories too, and the first few ones are a bit rough.”

“Have you ever thought of publishing any of them?” The brunet asked, curiosity and wonder in his eyes.

“I’d want someone to look over them first.” Anti replied quietly. “Like an editor, to review them, but I’ve never known someone that I’d want to share them with before.”

Jack’s eyes widened, feeling a mixture of hope and excitement rising up.

“I’m an editor!” He said with a smile, though he raised a hand to his lips as he thought. “Though I’ve never actually worked on books before. I’m sure there’d be a lot more work, and probably different rules, I’d probably have to review an editor’s guide for it.” He then looked to the binder he was still holding in his other hand, already thinking about what he could do, but realized he was getting ahead of himself.

He carefully set it down on the desk and went over to the green-haired man to hold their hands together.

“If you’d like, I’d love to read your stories.”

Anti nodded, returning the warm expression, and the brunet gave him a soft kiss.

“But first.” Jack then said, stepping back. “I have to see what you’ve been hiding here.”

Anti let out a huff, though he looked amused, and moved to sit at one of the desks’ chairs as he let the brunet look around. Jack was in awe at everything, looking through sketches and notebooks with care. He found some outlines for ideas, words circled and arrows rearranging sentences, and he found it interesting to see how Anti’s mind worked on these. The two of them talked, Jack eventually sitting on the floor as he looked at loose papers spread out around him, and Anti seemed happy to be able to talk about them. There were times when the brunet asked questions and Anti answered with a small smile in the corner of his lips, eyes looking up like he was recalling a warm memory.

When Jack finally started to read the story Anti had handed to him first, the two of them were back together on the couch. Jack was leaning against the green-haired man, legs outstretched to the other end as he held the binder of pages in his lap. It was like before, when Anti would read while Jack was next to him, listening to his thoughts, but now it was the other way around. Sometimes Anti would card his fingers through the brunet’s hair, a soft smile on his face while Jack read a new page, commenting about something new, questions coming to mind as he tried to think of what could happen next.

He read through it slowly, taking breaks between chapters, but on the day when he read the last sentence, the first thing he did was turn to the green-haired man where he was and wrap his arms tightly around him.

“That was wonderful.” He said. “I could really see the thought you put into it, and it’s… really you.” The brunet added, a small chuckle at the end. “In a good way; I really liked it.”

Anti was giving him another shy look, not used to the compliments, and Jack smiled more.

“You should be proud.” Jack said, placing a soft kiss on the other’s lips.

“If it’s you who says so.” Anti murmured back. “I think I can believe it.”

Afterwards, the two of them were often in the office that Jack has started calling the “writing room”. Anti would have a new notebook open, writing new notes as the two of them talked about the story, and the brunet had the binder open, a stack of sticky notes next to him as they tossed out ideas. Jack really liked the story, something he reminded the green-haired man about a lot, but the other said he liked being able to talk like this, to review the story and find ways to improve it.

“Well then, as your editor-“ Jack said with a grin. “-let’s make it even better.”

…

The brunet stood in front of his apartment door, holding his key and the spare while Anti was standing next to him. They had finished moving everything they needed to out, the rooms now looking strangely bare to the brunet. This was his last day at the apartment.

With a small hum, he closed the door, locking it before taking a step back, and Anti put a hand on his shoulder. They shared a nod, then Jack led the way to return the keys to the landlord; it was the last thing he needed to do. She gave the two of them a polite nod when they returned the keys, wishing them well, and they then stepped outside as the brunet looked up at the apartment one last time.

“Well.” Anti said lightly. “Are you ready to go home?”

Jack then turned to him, blinking for a moment before his expression softened and he smiled. Home. Being with Anti was home.

“Yeah.” He answered, the two of them walking hand in hand back to the car.

They went out to dinner to celebrate Jack officially moving in with the other, the two sitting side by side at the table as they shared a meal. Jack had sent a text to Nate, telling him the news and sending a picture of their dessert when they got it, and the raven-haired man replied back with a congratulations as well as making the brunet promise to take him to the restaurant one day too. Jack glanced at their ice-cream and cookie dessert and chuckled softly.

“I think Nate wants this.” He added, pointing to it while showing the texts to Anti.

Anti huffed with a smile before taking out his own phone, typing something, and Jack got a text from Nate shortly afterwards.

_”Your boyfriend is mean.”_

It was clearly said as a joke, Jack letting out a quiet laugh before turning to the other to quirk an eyebrow up at him. Anti just wrapped an arm around his shoulder, leaning into him as pressed a kiss atop his head and spoke against his hair.

“You’re mine.” He said softly.

Jack’s eyes widened for a moment, but he leaned into the other’s touch, secretly rolling his eyes.

“Hm. So that’s how it is?” He asked, tone light, and the other just hummed in response.

Returning home, the two of them spent a nice evening laying together on the bed in pajamas, pillows propped up against the headboard as they sat back against it, laptop between them as they watched videos. When the last light faded from the windows, Anti leaned over to turn on the fairy lights, the room lighting up softly. Jack didn’t think he’d ever get tired of seeing them.

They eventually set the laptop aside as it got late and Jack got up to head to the bathroom, washing his face as the cloth rubbed against his face gently. He found himself thinking about Anti, how the two of them had a really nice day today, and how special it felt to finally be home with him.

When he returned to the bedroom, he stood in the doorway for a moment as he looked at the green-haired man, sitting on the bed under the fairy lights’ glow. It was a beautiful sight. He walked over to the bed on quiet feet, sitting on it once more before he scooted over to the other to rest over his lap. Anti slid his arms just above the brunet’s hips without hesitance, the two of them leaning forward to brush their lips together. Jack had his hands on the other’s shoulders, holding him as they pressed kiss against kiss, and they hummed softly. When they paused for a breath, they shared a small smile, Jack’s hands moving gently as his thumbs rubbed the sides of the other’s neck.

“Remember the dream…” The brunet started softly, recalling the time he had fallen asleep on the other on the couch. “When I wanted to be closer.”

Anti gave him a look, obvious that he did remember, but he responded just as lightly.

“Yes.”

Jack then looked into green eyes, the two of them sharing a warm look.

“Can we?” The brunet then asked, though he wasn’t sure what words he was supposed to say.

Anti’s eyes widened slightly, looking over the brunet’s face as he slowly realized what he was asking. Then, with a hum in response, Anti adjusted his hold onto the brunet, holding him tighter, and picked him up as he stepped out of bed. Jack made a startled sound, wrapping his arms around the other’s shoulders, legs around his waist, as he was carried across the room. He was still surprised to see that the other could carry him around, mentioning it to him as well.

“Not if you keep moving around.” Anti had responded, and the brunet huffed at him.

Anti ended up carrying the brunet to the bathroom, stopping at the cabinet in the corner to open it as he readjusted for one arm to support Jack’s weight. He pushed a few things to the side, reaching towards the back to pull forward two different bottles, one new and one looking fairly unused.

“I don’t have any of the other stuff.” Anti murmured as Jack looked to the bottles, making a quiet sound of recognition.

“Oh, that’s okay.” The brunet replied, turning to see the other’s face from where he was. “If you’re okay with that.”

That was all the confirmation Anti needed then as he picked up the opened bottle, handing it to Jack so he could carry him back out to the bedroom. When they reached the bed, Anti returned to his earlier position against the headboard, keeping the brunet in his lap as they met for another kiss. Jack could feel his heart start to beat a little faster at the thought of what was ahead, their tongues sliding together between lips as they shared soft hums. Jack slipped his hands under the other man’s shirt first, pushing it upwards until he got it over the other’s head and onto the floor. He then spent a moment to admire Anti’s bare chest, hands roaming against his skin as his fingers traced the faint lines of his abs, subtle, but the brunet liked it. Anti’s chest rose and fell with each breath, half lidded eyes watching the brunet, and he finally slid his own hands to remove the brunet’s shirt as well. 

Jack then let one of his hands carefully brush drift back up to Anti’s neck, seeing the scar as he let his fingers lightly glide against it. He could tell when Anti’s eyes looked at his matching scar as well, but the brunet then leaned forward, placing a kiss on the side of Anti’s neck. The green-haired man made a soft hum, leaning his head lightly against the other’s, then when the brunet leaned back their lips met once more, soft sounds shared between them. They started to rock their hips together, movements starting slowly, but enough to feel it through the clothes they still wore.

They shared a look, a silent question to each other as well as a chance to stop, but when neither of them slowed, they pressed forward for another kiss. Jack then sat up on his knees slightly, enough to slide the rest of his clothes off, and Anti lifted his hips to do the same. The green-haired man then grabbed the bottle resting next to them on the bed, opening it as he poured a bit of the liquid onto his hand before reaching between the two of them. Jack moaned at the touch, the feeling different than when they were together on the couch, and he shortly followed to do the same, adding the cool liquid to his hand as their cocks were pressed together. The lubrication made the slide easier as they stroked each other, foreheads together as they let out quiet pants.

Then Anti let go, his clean hand cupping the brunet’s jaw to lead him in for another kiss while his other reached around behind the brunet. He brushed a finger between the brunet’s cheeks, pressing against his hole lightly, and Jack shuddered at the cold touch. Anti spoke quietly to him, asking if he was okay, and when he nodded, the green-haired man then finally pressed his finger inside. Jack’s breath hitched at the feeling, not used to it as Anti’s hand was also cold from the lubrication, but it helped ease the friction as it pressed further inside. Anti continued carefully, stretching the brunet, then a second finger pressed in alongside the first, curling as they reached further inside. Jack let out a gasp, pressing back against the other’s hand, and he murmured for more when he got used to the feeling. A third finger joined the others then and Jack’s hand that was still stroking the other faltered, the brunet letting out quiet breaths from his mouth as he leaned his head down against the other’s shoulder to focus on the feeling. Anti took the opportunity to kiss the side of his face, starting to move his hand faster as he stretched the brunet more, switching between curling and spreading his fingers. Jack started to buck his hips back into the sensation, feeling a new warmth spreading under his skin, and his anticipation grew as he wanted to feel more, to feel the other inside of him.

“Anti.” He said, gasping at another movement of the other man’s hand. “I want you now.” He lifted his head enough to press another messier kiss against the other’s lips. “Please.”

Anti hummed, pressing his fingers in once more before finally sliding them out. They shifted their positions slightly, Anti leaning back a little more as Jack lifted his hips up, holding himself on his knees. The green-haired man lined himself up, a hand spreading cheeks as the head of his cock pressed against the brunet, and Jack breathed out a soft “yeah” before Anti then thrusted inside of him, the head of his cock disappearing into the other. The brunet had parted lips as sounds escaped him, Anti bucking his hips up to press in a little further each time before pulling back, leaving just the head inside, and thrusting in again. He repeated the motion, again and again, adding a little more force to slide in deeper, the heat enveloping his cock and making him groan. Jack stuttered as he was bounced lightly against the other’s movements, trying to keep his hips steady as he felt the stretch of the other’s cock slowly penetrating him, deeper and deeper still until the brunet finally had the entire length inside of him, able to rest against the other’s lap.

And Jack had never felt like this before, this full, the stretch and heat of the other reaching farther than his hand was, and the brunet to let out a breathy moan. He stilled against the other’s lap, feeling as Anti held onto his hips, thumbs brushing against his hipbones lightly to comfort him, and they waited to let the brunet get used to the feeling.

Jack took a few slow breaths, but he didn’t want to wait long, lifting his hips only after a few moments before sinking back down, taking in the sensation it brought. He had one hand against Anti’s chest, keeping himself steady, and lifted himself up again to press back down harder, then did it again. It didn’t take long for the other to fall into the rhythm, lifting his hips up to meet him halfway as Jack started to get used to it, finding his pattern. Then on one thrust, the green-haired man snapped his hips up, causing the brunet to let out a loud moan as he fell forward, catching himself with his arm. He swore under his breath, eyes closed for a moment, but when he opened them again, he was met with Anti staring back at him, green eyes filled with want and desire, but also care for the brunet.

“I… I didn’t know it would feel like this.” Jack said softly, rolling his hips down once more as he bit back a whine, legs starting to shake.

Then he noticed Anti’s expression change, blinking up at the other, and Jack almost let out a chuckle as he watched Anti slowly realize he was his first.

“I’ve been waiting for you.” Jack added, smiling softly at the other.

Anti stared for another moment, hands still holding onto the brunet’s hips, then he leaned forward to capture the other’s lips in another kiss before rolling the two of them over suddenly, pressing Jack into the bed as he leaned over him, still together. Jack instinctively lifted his legs up, wrapping them around the other man’s waist, and they didn’t break their kiss until they finally needed a breath for air.

“Me too.” Anti then said quietly, and Jack couldn’t help the bright smile on his face.

Then Anti readjusted his grip on the brunet’s hips, lifting the other slightly off the bed as he drew his own hips back, then thrusted quickly back in. Jack threw his head back, happy to have the bed beneath him now to lay against, and mewled at the feeling. Their new position was different, letting the other reach deeper inside as he thrusted in again, and the brunet clutched onto the blanket below him.

Their pace sped up as Anti found his new rhythm, moving the brunet’s hips with him to find the perfect angle to thrust back inside, and they both moaned at the pleasure from it. Jack was being pushed back against the bed with the force of it, sure of the mattress rocking against them too, and he felt his toes curl.

“ _Ah-_ Anti- _ahn-_ “ He gasped, blinking away the tears that started to form in the corners of his eyes. “S-so good.” Another thrust jostled him against the bed with a gasp. “Don’t stop- _ah!_ ”

At that, Anti almost draped over the brunet, Jack’s knees bending higher from where they were positioned against him, and let go of any restraint he had left as he drove his hips into the brunet. They shared a messy kiss, sounds muffled between lips, and the brunet finally let go of the bed to wrap his arms around the other’s shoulders, pulling him closer. Jack could feel when he was getting close, leaking precome as his cock was pressed between their stomachs. He tried to murmur so to the other, only able to get half the words out, but it seemed Anti understood as he slid one of his hands between them to stroke the brunet in time with his thrusts. Jack arched his back up, caught between wanting to press back against the other’s cock rocking into him, making him drool, or to hump forward into the other’s grip.

Jack let out another mewl, shutting his eyes as he took in the pleasure, and tried to warn the other again that he was close, _so close_ , until one final hard thrust sent him over the edge. He tensed up as he came between them, painting his stomach white while holding on tightly to the other, and Anti’s hand helped guide him through his release. The green-haired man grunted as the brunet tightened around him, not too far off himself either as his hips faltered in their movements, until he buried himself deep inside the other and came with a drawn out moan.

Anti fell forward afterwards, though was careful enough to lay against the brunet’s side rather than on top of him, and the two of them took deep breaths as they finally began to calm down. The air felt cool against their bodies lightly covered in sweat, Jack looking down to see the other mess on his stomach as well. He made a quiet hum, not ready to move just yet, and shuddered at the feeling when Anti finally pulled out of him. He felt himself twitch against his stomach, feeling a small spark of arousal, but he closed his eyes. Another time, maybe, but not tonight.

After another minute, Anti spoke up, a hand rubbing the brunet’s side as he asked how he was feeling. Tired was Jack’s first answer, the urge to fall asleep growing the longer he laid in bed, but he knew he should properly clean himself.

“I think I’d like to take you up on that offer now.” Jack then replied, Anti only responding with a confused hum, then he clarified. “About the bath.”

“Give me a moment.” Anti then said as he propped himself up on his elbows, placing a light kiss against the brunet’s cheek before he got out of bed and walked towards the bathroom.

Jack listened as the bath slowly began to fill in the other room, waiting to get up until he finally heard the faucet turn off, and he walked on tired legs over to the room as Anti met him in the doorway and led him over to the tub. Jack stepped into the water first, Anti getting in behind him, and the brunet laid back against the other’s chest as they took a moment to let their muscles relax in the warm water. There were no bubbles this time, but Jack found he didn’t mind as he let Anti take care of him, the green-haired man starting with a wash cloth scrubbing his stomach gently. Anti was careful when he slid the cloth down further, wanting to make sure he got everything, but the brunet never lost his content expression.

After they were both finally cleaned up, they sat on the tub’s edge as they dried off with a towel before returning to the bedroom to put on a fresh pair of boxers and pajama pants. Anti took off the top blanket, though the sheets they had under were still fine, and while he replaced that, Jack took the dirtied blanket and their old clothes over to the laundry room. When he returned, Anti was sitting on the newly made bed, the fairy lights still glowing above them, and he smiled as he joined the other on the bed once more.

They didn’t lie down just yet, instead sitting next to one another as Anti reached a hand out to brush the brunet’s cheek. Jack could see the pure affection in the other’s eyes, even under the soft light of the dark room, and he leaned into the other’s touch fondly.

“Jack…” Anti had started, Jack able to tell he was going to say something else, but cut him off before he could.

“Seán.”

Anti knit his eyebrows together, not understanding, and the brunet gave him a warm look.

“It’s my name. My real name. Jack is more of a fun nickname.”

Anti looked surprised, his curious look returning as well, but it soon changed into something else, something new.

“Rain.”

It was Jack’s turn to be confused, humming at the word, and Anti continued.

“I was named after the rain.”

Jack’s lips parted at that, his turn to be surprised now too, and he looked at the other’s expression once more, seeing the honesty in his eyes as well as something vulnerable. A side of him only Jack got to see. He then remembered the nickname he gave to the other, remembering how Anti had looked when he first said it, and he smiled now as he leaned forward, their lips brushing softly together.

“My raindrop.” He murmured.

Anti made a warm sound at that, moving to tuck his head against the crook of Jack’s neck, and they finally laid down together, lifting the covers up to get comfortable underneath. They soon fell fast asleep, feeling safe in each other’s arms under the fairy lights’ glow.

…

It was a few nights later when Jack woke up in the middle of the night from another nightmare, something that still happened from time to time. He stared straight up at the ceiling for a moment, trying to shake away the memory of it as he took a breath to calm himself down, and finally felt himself relax once his mind cleared up. He rolled over on his side, first seeing Anti sleeping peacefully on his back with one arm out between the two of them, then he looked up to see his crystal charm hanging on the top of the headboard like it was when it was at the apartment.

Jack smiled at it, remembering the comfort it brought during difficult nights, but this time the brunet turned to something else. Although Anti was still asleep, Jack was still comforted by his presence, feeling better just by lying next to him. Jack then glanced at the other’s hand resting near his pillow, a thought coming to mind, and he carefully reached his own hand up to place it in Anti’s, holding onto it gently so it wouldn’t wake the other, but enough for the brunet to know it’s there as he closed his eyes once more.

He didn’t fall asleep right away, though he was able to get back into a comfortable doze-like state, but he noticed when there was a shuffle next to him later, hearing the blankets move as Anti turned to his side, then there was a pause.

Then Jack felt the other squeeze his hand gently.

The brunet didn’t do anything to show he was awake, but he was happy.

He fell asleep shortly after, not waking up until early morning, and the first thing he noticed then was that Anti wasn’t laying across from him, his hand now empty. He sat up with a yawn, rubbing his eyes as the blankets pooled around his waist, and he finally noticed the other man sitting by himself at the foot of the bed. Anti wasn’t facing him, seemingly looking at the wall ahead, and the brunet called out to him softly, asking if he was okay.

“I didn’t think anyone would want me.” Anti said quietly, just enough for the brunet to hear him.

As soon as he did, though, Jack quickly pushed the blankets off of himself as he crawled over to the other on the bed, sitting next to him. Then Anti continued, looking down at his lap.

“I had convinced myself that no one would, that whoever I was supposed to be with would be better off without me… but… there was a part of me that still hoped, though… that still wanted to believe there was a chance… that I could find love… and they would love me back.”

Jack was able to see the tear form in the other’s eye and quickly reached a hand out to wipe it away.

“I’m glad you’re here.” Jack said softly, watching as the other turned to look at him, his hair down and covering half of his face, and worry in the eye that could still be seen. “I wish I could’ve met you sooner so we could’ve been together sooner.” Anti blinked away another tear and the brunet gave him a warm smile. “I’ve been searching for you my whole life.”

Anti sniffled, raising a hand to wipe at his other eye, and Jack wanted to lean over to give him a hug but couldn’t get a good position from how they were sitting. So instead he stood up, walking around the foot of the bed to where the other was and wrapped his arms around him, pulling the other off the bed. Anti wrapped his arms around the brunet’s waist, the two looking into each other’s eyes, and Jack gently slid his hands to cup the green-haired man’s cheeks. They stood close together, leaning forward as their foreheads touched, and Jack continued to speak softly.

“I don’t have to worry about losing you anymore and… you have me.”

Anti made a quiet sound, tilting his head so he could press their lips together.

“You won’t lose me.”

Jack gave him another reassuring smile, thumbs brushing against the other’s cheeks.

“And you won’t lose me.” He returned, sliding his hands down then as he wrapped them around Anti’s shoulders.

The morning’s light was just starting to filter through the window’s curtains, the room not yet bright aside from the fairy lights still glowing above them. The two of them started to sway side to side, moving slowly in each other’s arms as they closed their eyes. They shared the peaceful moment together, neither one wanting to let go, so there they stayed as the morning slowly began to rise, dancing under the fairy lights.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all so much for reading!! I'd love to hear what you guys think!! I'm really happy with this story, it took me a bit to write but I'm proud of it and it'll definitely be one I hold dear along with Origami Heart and LtWPY!  
> I have [another drawing](https://galaxykitty42.tumblr.com/post/190348105220/the-final-chapter-of-dancing-under-the-fairy) as well as a thank you for reading, and it has Anti with his little braids up!!  
> Thank you all again for being here and I hope you enjoyed the story!! c:
> 
> Edit: Forgot to add [this song](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VRB9-FyYcmI)! As soon as I heard it I thought of this story, it fits perfectly <3


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